The next part of the world cruise was sailing through the Suez Canal in Egypt to reach the Mediterranean leg of the cruise.
The Suez Canal is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt that connects the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. It is 120.11 miles (193.30 km) long 24m (79 ft.) deep and 205 meters (673 ft.) wide.
It was built so ships did not have to sail all around Africa to get to the Mediterranean from the Middle East. That is why we sailed through to get to the Mediterranean Sea from the Red Sea in the Middle East on the world cruise.
It took ten years to build and was opened in 1869. It was built by the Suez Canal Company. During the early years of construction, they used the forced labour of Egyptian workers.
Later that stopped and over the ten years, 1.5 million people from various countries were employed to build the canal.
The Suez Canal is different from the Panama Canal as the waterway does not have a lock system. This is because of the flat terrain and a minor sea level difference between each end.
There is one shipping lane and ships must go in convoy to transit the canal. It takes between 11 to 16 hours. It is mainly oil tankers and container ships that pass through the canal. We were the only cruise ship going through that day.
When we entered the canal I could smell it! The scenery going through the canal changes throughout the transit. From just sand to the odd building or mosque. Then to a desert town to a town that is very green. See the photos below:
You may also enjoy reading about other ports from the World Cruise:
STEPPING INTO A FAIRY-TALE IN ALBEROBELLO TRULLI ITALY
A DAY IN PETRA JORDAN THE LOST CITY
THREE DAYS IN GREECE – RHODES, CHANIA & ZAKYNTHOS
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Happy Travels
Love Lucy x
