Misplaced Pages

#925074

87-559: El Qantara was built next to a site of an ancient city Sele ( Ancient Greek : Σελη , Coptic : ϩⲗⲗⲏ, ⲛⲗⲏ, ⲥⲉⲗⲏ , Ancient Egyptian : Ṯȝrw Tcharou ). During World War I , Kantara, as it was referred to by the Allied troops, was the site of Headquarters No. 3 Section, Canal Defences and Headquarters Eastern Force during the latter stages of the Defence of the Suez Canal Campaign and

174-591: A French explorer of Egypt, became chief engineer of Egypt's Public Works . In addition to his normal duties, he surveyed the Isthmus of Suez and made plans for the Suez Canal. French Saint-Simonianists showed an interest in the canal and in 1833, Barthélemy Prosper Enfantin tried to draw Muhammad Ali's attention to the canal but was unsuccessful. Alois Negrelli , the Italian - Austrian railroad pioneer, became interested in

261-409: A canal might disrupt their commercial and maritime supremacy. Lord Palmerston , the project's most unwavering foe, confessed in the mid-1850s the real motive behind his opposition: that Britain's commercial and maritime relations would be overthrown by the opening of a new route, open to all nations, and thus deprive his country of its present exclusive advantages. As one of the diplomatic moves against

348-448: A challenging endeavor, as the tactics employed in urban warfare differed significantly from those employed in the desert. Consequently, the intensity of combat persisted throughout the day. At the conclusion of October 7th, the military forces of the 18th Infantry Division, commanded by Brigadier General Fouad Aziz Ghali, had managed to encircle and control the city, thus laying the groundwork for its ultimate liberation. On Monday, October 8,

435-653: A conversation with another monk, Fidelis, who had sailed on the canal from the Nile to the Red Sea during a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in the first half of the 8th century. The Abbasid caliph al-Mansur is said to have ordered this canal closed in 767 to prevent supplies from reaching Arabian detractors. The remaining section of the canal near the Nile, known as the Khalij , continued to serve as part of Cairo's water infrastructure until

522-553: A detailed description of the canal complete with plans and profiles. The Suez Canal Company ( Compagnie universelle du canal maritime de Suez ) came into being on 15 December 1858. The British government had opposed the project from the outset to its completion. The British, who controlled both the Cape route and the Overland route to India and the Far East, favored the status quo , given that

609-639: A direct route between the North Atlantic and northern Indian oceans via the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea, avoiding the South Atlantic and southern Indian oceans and reducing the journey distance from the Arabian Sea to London by approximately 8,900 kilometres (5,500 mi), to 10 days at 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) or 8 days at 24 knots (44 km/h; 28 mph). The canal extends from

696-714: A dream. Despite entering negotiations with Egypt's ruling Mamelukes , the Venetian plan to build the canal was quickly put to rest by the Ottoman conquest of Egypt in 1517 , led by Sultan Selim I . During the 16th century, the Ottoman Grand Vizier Sokollu Mehmed Pasha attempted to construct a canal connecting the Red Sea and the Mediterranean . This was motivated by a desire to connect Constantinople to

783-648: A large number of Egyptian antiquities experts, including Dr. Mohamed El-Saghir, head of the Egyptian Antiquities Sector, and Dr. Fikry Hassan, professor of Egyptology at the University of London . Suez Canal The Suez Canal ( / ˈ s uː . ɛ z / ; Arabic : قَنَاةُ ٱلسُّوَيْسِ , Qanāt as-Suwais ) is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt , connecting the Mediterranean Sea to

870-671: A number of granite stelae that he set up on the Nile bank, including one near Kabret, and a further one a few kilometres north of Suez. Darius the Great's Suez Inscriptions read: King Darius says: I am a Persian; setting out from Persia I conquered Egypt. I ordered to dig this canal from the river that is called Nile and flows in Egypt, to the sea that begins in Persia. Therefore, when this canal had been dug as I had ordered, ships went from Egypt through this canal to Persia, as I had intended The canal left

957-622: A portion of the first, was constructed under the reign of Necho II (610–595 BCE), but the only fully functional canal was engineered and completed by Darius I (522–486 BCE). James Henry Breasted attributes the earliest-known attempt to construct a canal to the first cataract , near Aswan, to the Sixth Dynasty of Egypt and its completion to Senusret III (1878–1839 BCE) of the Twelfth Dynasty of Egypt . The legendary Sesostris (likely either Pharaoh Senusret II or Senusret III of

SECTION 10

#1732876014926

1044-585: Is also connected to the unified electrical grid of Egypt , and it is considered the first city liberated in the October War . In 2004, the city was subjected to an infestation of locusts . Qantara Sharq is one of the cities of the Sinai Peninsula . It was established as Qantara Sharq following the construction of the Suez Canal , although it had been inhabited for a considerable period prior to this. Indeed, it

1131-480: Is because the tunnel would eliminate the daily inconvenience currently experienced by investors and workers in their daily commute between the east and west banks of the Suez Canal . El-Salam Canal passes through the city after crossing the Suez Canal through a dam. The Sinai Railway passes near the city, which crosses the canal through the El-Ferdan Railway Bridge and heads to Bir al-Abd . The city

1218-516: Is believed to have served as the burial ground for the site of Tell Abu Safi, also known as the Roman castle of Silat, situated approximately 2.5 kilometers to the east of Qantara Sharq. The mosque is situated in a village of the same name, approximately 30 kilometers from Qantara Sharq. This region is characterized by a prevalence of palm trees. The mosque building is constructed of red bricks and has an area of 13 x 10 meters. It features three porticoes and

1305-410: Is supported by four octagonal pillars. The minaret is located on the northwestern side. The site is accessed via a staircase. The mihrab is situated on the exterior of the southern wall, while the area in front of the mosque is designated for ablution . This includes a water well, cistern, and ablution basins. The North Sinai Antiquities District has undertaken the restoration of the mosque , employing

1392-482: The Bitter Lakes and Lake Timsah ). In his Meteorology , Aristotle (384–322 BCE) wrote: One of their kings tried to make a canal to it (for it would have been of no little advantage to them for the whole region to have become navigable; Sesostris is said to have been the first of the ancient kings to try), but he found that the sea was higher than the land. So he first, and Darius afterwards, stopped making

1479-654: The Institution of Civil Engineers in London, and again Negrelli, to examine the plans developed by Linant de Bellefonds , and to advise on the feasibility of and the best route for the canal. After surveys and analyses in Egypt and discussions in Paris on various aspects of the canal, where many of Negrelli's ideas prevailed, the commission produced a unanimous report in December 1856 containing

1566-588: The Mediterranenan , Ismailia (1862) near the middle and north of Lake Timsah , and Port Twefik (1867) at the canal's southern entrance on the Red Sea. The canal opened under French control in November 1869. The opening ceremonies began at Port Said on the evening of 15 November, with illuminations, fireworks, and a banquet on the yacht of the Khedive Isma'il Pasha of Egypt and Sudan . The royal guests arrived

1653-541: The Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia (and by extension, the Sinai Peninsula from the rest of Egypt). The 193.30-kilometre-long (120.11 mi) canal is a key trade route between Europe and Asia. In 1858, French diplomat Ferdinand de Lesseps formed the Compagnie de Suez for the express purpose of building the canal . Construction of the canal lasted from 1859 to 1869. The canal officially opened on 17 November 1869. It offers vessels

1740-623: The Sinai Campaign of 1916 . The massive distribution warehouse and hospital centre supported and supplied all British, Australian and New Zealand operations in the Sinai from 1916 until final demobilization in 1919. Beginning in January 1916, a new railway was constructed from Kantara to Romani, and eastward through the Sinai to El Arish and Rafa on the border with the Ottoman Empire. A water pipeline

1827-543: The Spice Islands , and forever changed the balance of Mediterranean trade. One of the most prominent losers in the new order, as former middlemen, was the former spice trading center of Venice . Venetian leaders, driven to desperation, contemplated digging a waterway between the Red Sea and the Nile—anticipating the Suez Canal by almost 400 years—to bring the luxury trade flooding to their doors again. But this remained

SECTION 20

#1732876014926

1914-661: The Suez Canal Bridge . The city was constructed upon the remains of an ancient Roman-era cemetery, which was known as Tharu during the ancient Egyptian era and Sela in Greek and Roman writings. Dr. Zahi Hawass , former Minister of State for Antiquities, has announced that 288 pieces of antiquities that were stolen from the Qantara Sharq warehouse in the early days of the January 25 Revolution have been recovered in cooperation with

2001-562: The Suez Crisis of October–November 1956. The canal is operated and maintained by the state-owned Suez Canal Authority (SCA) of Egypt. Under the Convention of Constantinople , it may be used "in time of war as in time of peace, by every vessel of commerce or of war, without distinction of flag." Nevertheless, the canal has played an important military strategic role as a naval short-cut and choke point . Navies with coastlines and bases on both

2088-706: The pilgrimage and trade routes of the Indian Ocean , as well as by strategic concerns—as the European presence in the Indian Ocean was growing, Ottoman mercantile and strategic interests were increasingly challenged , and the Sublime Porte was increasingly pressed to assert its position . A navigable canal would allow the Ottoman Navy to connect its Red Sea , Black Sea , and Mediterranean fleets. However, this project

2175-461: The 13th century BCE during the time of Ramesses II . Remnants of an ancient west–east canal through the ancient Egyptian cities of Bubastis , Pi-Ramesses , and Pithom were discovered by Napoleon Bonaparte and his engineers and cartographers in 1799. According to the Histories of the Greek historian Herodotus , about 600 BCE, Necho II undertook to dig a west–east canal through

2262-448: The 18th Infantry Division was able to liberate the city of Qantara Sharq after a prolonged siege, both internally and externally, and a subsequent assault. The conflict took place in the city's streets and within its buildings until the opposing forces were forced to withdraw. The division seized a considerable quantity of enemy weapons and equipment, including a number of tanks , and captured thirty enemy personnel, all those who remained in

2349-469: The 19th century. In later periods, the canal was closed with a dike for much of the year and reopened during the flood season. The Fatimid caliph al-Hakim is claimed to have repaired the Cairo to Red Sea passageway, but only briefly, circa 1000 CE, as it soon "became choked with sand". The successful 1488 navigation of southern Africa by Bartolomeu Dias opened a direct maritime trading route to India and

2436-579: The Cattaui banking family, and their relationship with James de Rothschild of the French House of Rothschild bonds and shares were successfully promoted in France and other parts of Europe. All French shares were quickly sold in France. A contemporary British skeptic claimed "One thing is sure... our local merchant community doesn't pay practical attention at all to this grand work, and it is legitimate to doubt that

2523-668: The French expedition of the Suez Canal Company during the canal's construction in 1914. The Egyptian Antiquities Authority subsequently uncovered several sites of the necropolis during the seasons of 1981-1983 and 1986. The shape of the burials and tombs recovered from the excavations of the Roman necropolis can be described as follows: On occasion, stelae inscribed in Ancient Greek are discovered that contain funerary phrases elucidating

2610-641: The Heroopolite Gulf and the Red Sea in the vicinity of the Egyptian town of Shaluf (alt. Chalouf or Shaloof ), located just south of the Great Bitter Lake, had become so blocked with silt that Darius needed to clear it out so as to allow navigation once again. According to Herodotus, Darius's canal was wide enough that two triremes could pass each other with oars extended, and required four days to traverse. Darius commemorated his achievement with

2697-452: The Israeli army, at sunset on October 8, Qantara Sharq was liberated, marking the first Egyptian city to be liberated. Since that day, October 8th has been commemorated as a national holiday for the city of Qantara Sharq. In 1978, within the framework of public policy, the state initiated the process of restoring normal life and established the local unit of the city of Qantara Sharq to commence

El Qantara, Egypt - Misplaced Pages Continue

2784-573: The Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea ( Egypt and Israel ) have a particular interest in the Suez Canal. After Egypt closed the Suez Canal at the beginning of the Six-Day War on 5 June 1967, the canal remained closed for eight years, reopening on 5 June 1975. The Egyptian government launched construction in 2014 to expand and widen the Ballah Bypass for 35 km (22 mi) to speed up the canal's transit time. The expansion intended to nearly double

2871-457: The Nile at Bubastis. An inscription on a pillar at Pithom records that in 270 or 269 BCE, it was again reopened, by Ptolemy II Philadelphus . In Arsinoe , Ptolemy constructed a navigable lock , with sluices , at the Heroopolite Gulf of the Red Sea, which allowed the passage of vessels but prevented salt water from the Red Sea from mingling with the fresh water in the canal. In

2958-678: The Persian king Darius had the same idea, and yet again Ptolemy II , who made a trench 100 feet (30 m) wide, 30 feet (9 m) deep and about 35 miles (55 km) long, as far as the Bitter Lakes. In the 20th century, the northward extension of the later Darius I canal was discovered, extending from Lake Timsah to the Ballah Lakes. This was dated to the Middle Kingdom of Egypt by extrapolating

3045-426: The Red Sea when it once extended north to Lake Timsah. ) The Red Sea is believed by some historians to have gradually receded over the centuries, its coastline slowly moving southward away from Lake Timsah and the Great Bitter Lake. Coupled with persistent accumulations of Nile silt , maintenance and repair of Ptolemy's canal became increasingly cumbersome over each passing century. Two hundred years after

3132-672: The Sinai Bedouins. The city is home to a military fortress constructed by the Mamluk Sultan Qansuh al-Ghuri . This fortress , which covers an area of 300 square meters, is similar in design to a fortress built by Al-Ghuri in Aleppo , Syria . The castle encompasses a military industrial city and a glass factory. It is postulated that the construction of a tunnel beneath the Suez Canal , linking Qantara Sharq and Qantara Gharb , would stimulate investment activity in Qantara Sharq. This

3219-627: The Twelfth Dynasty of Egypt ) may have constructed the ancient canal, the Canal of the Pharaohs , joining the Nile with the Red Sea (1897–1839 BCE), when an irrigation channel was constructed around 1848 BCE that was navigable during the flood season , leading into a dry river valley east of the Nile River Delta named Wadi Tumilat . (It is said that in ancient times the Red Sea reached northward to

3306-523: The Wadi Tumilat between Bubastis and Heroopolis , and perhaps continued it to the Heroopolite Gulf and the Red Sea. Regardless, Necho is reported as having never completed his project. Herodotus was told that 120,000 men perished in this undertaking, but this figure is doubtless exaggerated. According to Pliny the Elder , Necho's extension to the canal was about 92 kilometres (57 statute miles), equal to

3393-456: The age, occupation, and title of the deceased, in addition to prayers. A substantial assemblage of pottery and gold artifacts was unearthed within the tombs. It can be demonstrated that the cemetery was utilized during the Roman era , although its usage can be traced back to the Ptolemaic era , as evidenced by the discovery of tomb remains and monuments dating to that era. The Qantara Sharq cemetery

3480-563: The ancient Horus Warpath. The current site of Qantara Sharq did not yield any evidence of the Pharaonic era or the New Kingdom in particular. Instead, the remains of the Roman cemetery , upon which the modern city on the eastern bank of the Suez Canal was built, were uncovered. The archaeological work in the area commenced with the Department of Antiquities' investigations in 1911, as well as

3567-463: The beach. In the evening there were more illuminations and fireworks. On the morning of 17 November, a procession of ships entered the canal, headed by the L'Aigle . Among the ships following was  HMS Newport , captained by George Nares , which surveyed the canal on behalf of the Admiralty a few months later. The Newport was involved in an incident that demonstrated some of the problems with

El Qantara, Egypt - Misplaced Pages Continue

3654-615: The canal's receipts... could ever be sufficient to recover its maintenance fee. It will never become a large ship's accessible way in any case." Work started on the shore of the future Port Said on 25 April 1859. The excavation took some 10 years, with forced labour ( corvée ) being employed until 1864 to dig out the canal. Some sources estimate that over 30,000 people were working on the canal at any given period, that more than 1.5 million people from various countries were employed, and that tens of thousands of labourers died, many of them from cholera and similar epidemics. Estimates of

3741-563: The canal, lest the sea should mix with the river water and spoil it. Strabo wrote that Sesostris started to build a canal, and Pliny the Elder (23/24–79 CE) wrote: 165. Next comes the Tyro tribe and, the harbour of the Daneoi , from which Sesostris, king of Egypt, intended to carry a ship-canal to where the Nile flows into what is known as the Delta; this is a distance of over 60 miles (100 km). Later

3828-421: The canal. There were suggestions that the depth of parts of the canal at the time of the inauguration were not as great as promised, and that the deepest part of the channel was not always clear, leading to a risk of grounding. The first day of the passage ended at Lake Timsah , 76 kilometres (41 nmi) south of Port Said. The French ship Péluse anchored close to the entrance, then swung around and grounded,

3915-456: The capacity of the Suez Canal, from 49 to 97 ships per day. At a cost of LE 59.4 billion (US$ 9 billion), this project was funded with interest-bearing investment certificates issued exclusively to Egyptian entities and individuals. The Suez Canal Authority officially opened the new side channel in 2016. This side channel, at the northern side of the east extension of the Suez Canal, serves the East Terminal for berthing and unberthing vessels from

4002-416: The cemetery contains 1,562 Commonwealth burials from World War I and 110 from World War II. There are also 341 war graves of other nationalities. The Kantara Memorial bears the names of 16 New Zealand World War I servicemen presumed killed in action at Rafa and Rumani. In 1961, panels bearing the names of 283 World War I Indian servicemen, interred in the now inaccessible Kantara Indian Cemetery, were affixed to

4089-403: The city. At 9:30 pm on October 8, the city's liberation was announced on Radio Cairo , which had a positive effect on the morale of the population. Galal Amer , a highly regarded journalist, held the rank of company commander in the 18th Infantry Division and played a role in the liberation of the city. The Technology Valley is situated in the northwestern region of the Sinai Peninsula , under

4176-523: The construction challenges that could have been the result of the alleged difference in sea levels, the idea of finding a shorter route to the east remained alive. In 1830, General Francis Chesney submitted a report to the British government that stated that there was no difference in elevation and that the Suez Canal was feasible, but his report received no further attention. Lieutenant Waghorn established his "Overland Route", which transported post and passengers to India via Egypt. Linant de Bellefonds ,

4263-433: The construction of Ptolemy's canal, Cleopatra seems to have had no west–east waterway passage, because the Pelusiac branch of the Nile, which fed Ptolemy's west–east canal, had by that time dwindled, being choked with silt. In support of this contention one can note that in 31 BCE, during a reversal of fortune in Mark Antony 's and Cleopatra's war against Octavian , she attempted to escape Egypt with her fleet by raising

4350-412: The construction of numerous facilities in the area, the excavation and construction work led to the discovery of the remains of a cemetery. Additionally, several attempts were made to uncover the cemetery's remains through visits to the site or archaeological survey work from 1888 to 1913, in addition to historical studies on the site. The term "Qantara" may have originated from an earlier designation, as it

4437-448: The dates of ancient sites along its course. The reliefs of the Punt expedition under Hatshepsut , 1470 BCE, depict seagoing vessels carrying the expeditionary force returning from Punt. This suggests that a navigable link existed between the Red Sea and the Nile. Recent excavations in Wadi Gawasis may indicate that Egypt's maritime trade started from the Red Sea and did not require a canal. Evidence seems to indicate its existence by

SECTION 50

#1732876014926

4524-442: The defense system of the eastern Egyptian gate in the New Kingdom era. Inscribed on the walls of the Karnak Temple in Luxor from the era of King Seti I , this system was constructed on the ruins of a Hyksos-era military base that had previously protected the area from the east. These discoveries provide insight into a pivotal aspect of the Egyptian liberation war against the Hyksos and their subsequent expulsion from Egypt through

4611-451: The discovery of an ancient canal extending northward from the Red Sea and then westward toward the Nile. Later, Napoleon, who became the French Emperor in 1804, contemplated the construction of a north–south canal to connect the Mediterranean with the Red Sea. But the plan was abandoned because it incorrectly concluded that the waterway would require locks to operate, the construction of which would be costly and time-consuming. The belief in

4698-528: The eastern entrance of North Sinai . Tharu is one of 11 fortresses constructed during the Pharaonic period at the beginning of the road between Qantara and Rafah . The Egyptian archaeological mission has revealed the architectural characteristics of the largest Egyptian fortified city from the New Kingdom era. This was achieved through the archaeological excavation of the ancient Horus Road fortresses situated between Egypt and Palestine , spanning from Qantara Sharq to Egyptian Rafah. The mission discovered

4785-407: The first century AD, who named it Amnis Traianus after himself. He reportedly moved its mouth on the Nile further south, at the site of what is now Old Cairo . By the time of the Arab conquest in 641 AD, this canal had fallen out of use. The commander of the Muslim force, Amr ibn al-As , ordered that it be restored so as to improve connections between Egypt and Medina , the Muslim capital at

4872-421: The following morning: the Emperor Franz Joseph I , the French Empress Eugenie in the Imperial yacht L'Aigle , the Crown Prince of Prussia , and Prince Louis of Hesse . Other international guests included the American natural historian H. W. Harkness . In the afternoon there were blessings of the canal with both Muslim and Christian ceremonies, a temporary mosque and church having been built side by side on

4959-411: The former route of the Horus Military Road, which connected Egypt and Palestine during the 18th Dynasty of the New Kingdom period. It encompasses an area of 150 by 150 meters and is constructed of adobe bricks, with rectangular defensive towers supporting the structure. The walls of the fortress are four meters in thickness. This discovery represents a significant advancement in our understanding of

5046-409: The idea in 1836. In 1846, Prosper Enfantin's Société d'Études du Canal de Suez invited a number of experts, among them Robert Stephenson , Negrelli and Paul-Adrien Bourdaloue to study the feasibility of the Suez Canal (with the assistance of Linant de Bellefonds). Bourdaloue's survey of the isthmus was the first generally accepted evidence that there was no practical difference in elevation between

5133-410: The jurisdiction of the city of Qantara Sharq in Ismailia , and approximately 10 kilometers east of the Suez Canal . The area in question has a total area of 16,000 feddans, with the work itself divided into several phases. Each phase involves 3,000 feddans, with 215 feddans of the first phase designated as an urgent phase. An agreement was reached between the Egyptian and Korean governments to assess

5220-409: The limited reported data of the time, the number would be fewer than 1,000. From its inauguration, till 1925, the Suez Canal Company built a series of company towns along the canal to serve its operation. They included ports and their facilities as well as housing for employees segregated by race or nationality. These were Port Said (1869) and Port Fuad (1925) at the canal's northern entrance by

5307-413: The need for locks was based on the erroneous belief that the Red Sea was 8.5 m (28 ft) higher than the Mediterranean. This was the result of using fragmentary survey measurements taken in wartime during Napoleon's Egyptian Expedition . As late as 1861, the unnavigable ancient route discovered by Napoleon from Bubastis to the Red Sea still channelled water as far east as Kassassin . Despite

SECTION 60

#1732876014926

5394-429: The northern terminus of Port Said to the southern terminus of Port Tewfik at the city of Suez . In 2021, more than 20,600 vessels traversed the canal (an average of 56 per day). The original canal featured a single-lane waterway with passing locations in the Ballah Bypass and the Great Bitter Lake . It contained, according to Alois Negrelli 's plans, no locks , with seawater flowing freely through it. In general,

5481-424: The number of deaths vary widely with Gamal Abdel Nasser citing 120,000 deaths upon nationalisation of the canal in a 26 July 1956 speech and the company's chief medical officer reporting no higher than 2.49 deaths per thousand in 1866. Doubling these estimates with a generous assumption of 50,000 working staff per year over 11 years would put a conservative estimate at fewer than 3,000 deaths. More closely relying on

5568-434: The project when it nevertheless went ahead, it disapproved of the use of "forced labour" for construction of the canal. Involuntary labour on the project ceased, and the viceroy condemned the corvée, halting the project. International opinion was initially skeptical, and shares of the Suez Canal Company did not sell well overseas. Britain, Austria , and Russia did not buy a significant number of shares. With assistance from

5655-408: The receipt and service of citizens. On April 12, 1979, the President of the Republic issued a decree that divided Sinai into two governorates, North and South , and annexed Qantara Sharq to Ismailia governorate . At that time, the local unit received the city, which had been reduced to a state of ruin. The houses had been demolished, the facilities were in a state of disrepair, and the infrastructure

5742-424: The remains of the headquarters of the Egyptian army in Sinai during the reign of King Ramses II . The adobe citadel, which measures 500 meters long and 250 meters wide, features high towers each four meters high and 20 meters wide. It served as the headquarters of the Egyptian army from the New Kingdom (1569-1081 BC) until the Ptolemaic era (31-305 AD). During the excavation of the Suez Canal , which involved

5829-461: The same brick material and a height of one meter. The inaugural international conference on the study of human strains, bones, tombs, and burials in ancient Egypt was convened by the Council in collaboration with the Scientific Center for Antiquities in Qantara Sharq. The conference drew participation from 100 scientists representing 1 In addition to Egyptian archaeologists, the conference was attended by representatives from two foreign countries and

5916-399: The second half of the 19th century, French cartographers discovered the remnants of an ancient north–south canal past the east side of Lake Timsah and ending near the north end of the Great Bitter Lake. This proved to be the canal made by Darius I, as his stele commemorating its construction was found at the site. (This ancient, second canal may have followed a course along the shoreline of

6003-421: The ship and its hawser blocking the way into the lake. The following ships had to anchor in the canal itself until the Péluse was hauled clear the next morning, making it difficult for them to join that night's celebration in Ismailia . Except for the Newport : Nares sent out a boat to carry out soundings, and was able to manoeuver around the Péluse to enter the lake and anchor there for the night. Ismailia

6090-409: The ships out of the Mediterranean and dragging them across the isthmus of Suez to the Red Sea. Then, according to Plutarch , the Arabs of Petra attacked and burned the first wave of these ships and Cleopatra abandoned the effort. (Modern historians, however, maintain that her ships were burned by the enemy forces of Malichus I .) The ancient canal was re-excavated by Roman emperor Trajan in

6177-466: The terminal. As the East Container Terminal is located on the Canal itself, before the construction of the new side channel it was not possible to berth or unberth vessels at the terminal while a convoy was running. Ancient west–east canals were built to facilitate travel from the Nile to the Red Sea . One smaller canal is believed to have been constructed under the auspices of Senusret II or Ramesses II . Another canal, probably incorporating

6264-527: The time. The Muslim canal was excavated further north from Trajan's canal, joining the Nile close to what is now the Sayyida Zaynab neighbourhood of Cairo. This canal reportedly ended near modern Suez . The site of the former Roman channel near the Nile was absorbed into the new city of Fustat . A geography treatise De Mensura Orbis Terrae written by the Irish monk Dicuil (born late 8th century) reports

6351-402: The total distance between Bubastis and the Great Bitter Lake, allowing for winding through valleys . The length that Herodotus tells, of over 1,000 stadia (i.e., over 183 kilometres or 114 miles), must be understood to include the entire distance between the Nile and the Red Sea at that time. With Necho's death, work was discontinued. Herodotus tells that the reason the project was abandoned

6438-430: The town. Egypt recaptured it at the start of the 1973 Yom Kippur War during The Crossing , and held it until the ceasefire was negotiated. Egypt regained formal control over the town in 1974. Qantara Sharq Qantara Sharq is an Egyptian center and city situated on the east bank of the Suez Canal in the Sinai Peninsula , on the northern border of Ismailia Governorate . It is connected to Qantara Gharb by

6525-480: The two seas. Britain, however, feared that a canal open to everyone might interfere with its India trade and therefore preferred a connection by train from Alexandria via Cairo to Suez, which Stephenson eventually built. In 1854 and 1856, Ferdinand de Lesseps obtained a concession from Sa'id Pasha , the Khedive of Egypt and Sudan , to create a company to construct a canal open to ships of all nations. The company

6612-518: The viability of the project from a marketing and economic perspective. Despite the expenditure of EGP 37 million on the infrastructure of the initial phase of the Technology Valley, and the engagement of six international companies in 1997 to construct factories with 70% of their output destined for export and 30% for the local market, work in the Valley was abruptly terminated. The site is situated on

6699-553: The wall behind the Stone of Remembrance, forming the Kantara Indian Cemetery Memorial. The town's importance as a hospital centre was renewed during World War II when General Hospital No. 1 was located there from July 1941 to December 1945, and General Hospitals Nos. 41 and 92 at different periods. No. 8 Polish General Hospital was constructed adjoining the war cemetery. During the 1967 Six Day War , Israel captured

6786-411: The water in the canal north of the Bitter Lakes flows north in winter and south in summer. South of the lakes, the current changes with the tide at Suez. The canal was the property of the Egyptian government, but European shareholders, mostly British and French, owned the concessionary company which operated it until July 1956, when President Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalised it—an event which led to

6873-512: Was an area that was settled by the Holy Family approximately 2000 years ago, with the intention of resting in its land for an extended period. Qantara Sharq was recently one of the cities of Sinai Governorate , the second largest city in the Sinai Peninsula. Since the inception of local government laws, the Sinai Peninsula was subject to military rule as a border governorate until 1965, when it

6960-435: Was because of a warning received from an oracle that others would benefit from its successful completion. Necho's war with Nebuchadnezzar II most probably prevented the canal's continuation. Necho's project was completed by Darius I of Persia , who ruled over Ancient Egypt after it had been conquered by his predecessor Cambyses II . It may be that by Darius's time a natural waterway passage which had existed between

7047-678: Was constructed along the same route by the Royal Engineers under the command of Brigadier General Everard Blair . The Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery and Memorial is located outside of town. It was begun in February, 1916 and remained in use until late 1920. After the war, it was doubled in size to accommodate the remains of soldiers from makeshift cemeteries and desert battlefields, notably in Qatia , Rumani , Magdhaba , El Arish and Rafa . Formally designed in 1919 by Sir Robert Lorimer ,

7134-514: Was deemed too expensive, and was never completed. During the French campaign in Egypt and Syria in late 1798, Napoleon expressed interest in finding the remnants of an ancient waterway passage. This culminated in a cadre of archaeologists , scientists, cartographers and engineers scouring northern Egypt. Their findings, recorded in the Description de l'Égypte , include detailed maps that depict

7221-615: Was referenced on the map of the French campaign as the Qantara Bridge and is postulated to have been influenced by the Qantara, which spanned the ancient Belusian branch of the Nile that traversed into Sinai until its termination at the city of Beluzium Tal Al-Farma Al-Hayala. The ancient Qanatra is inscribed on the walls of the Karnak Temple and depicts the return journey of King Seti I via

7308-524: Was severely degraded. In March 1996, the Prime Minister issued a decree to transform Qantara Sharq into a city and center, encompassing the villages of Al-Taqaddam, Al-Abtal, and Gilbana. The forts constructed by the adversary in the Qantara Sharq sector constituted some of the most formidable forts of the Bar-Lev line , with as many as seven forts in total. Engaging in combat within the cityscape proved to be

7395-412: Was subjected to local government and the first municipal council was established. However, this did not last long, as the 1967 war soon broke out. In the days following the fifth of June, the Egyptian region under occupation was completed by Qantara Sharq and the days then proceeded according to their well-known cycle until the crossing of the Suez Canal happened. On the third day, following a defense from

7482-509: Was the scene of more celebrations the following day, including a military "march past", illuminations and fireworks, and a ball at the Governor's Palace. The convoy set off again on the morning of 19 November, for the remainder of the trip to Suez. After Suez, many of the participants headed for Cairo, and then to the Pyramids, where a new road had been built for the occasion. An Anchor Line ship,

7569-542: Was to operate the canal for 99 years from its opening. De Lesseps had used his friendly relationship with Sa'id, which he had developed while he was a French diplomat in the 1830s. As stipulated in the concessions, de Lesseps convened the International Commission for the piercing of the isthmus of Suez ( Commission Internationale pour le percement de l'isthme de Suez ) consisting of 13 experts from seven countries, among them John Robinson McClean , later President of

#925074