March 26, 2023
As we awoke just after dawn, the Island Princess was already entering the Suez Canal, coursing its way through Egypt. Thick and green with palm trees and other lush plants, the town along the first part of canal looked exotic and alluring. I wanted to step out of the ship and explore.
At intervals along the canal, we saw individual houses, towns, industrial sections, and barren sand dunes. Close to Cairo but on the opposite side of the canal, way out in the dessert, there was a section of a few miles with hundreds of very modern condominium buildings. The buildings were in rows — at least ten buildings wide and at least ten buildings deep, and all were exactly alike, with about eight stories each. Massive sections were standing vacant, never lived in. Recreation facilities and a celebration arena were also being constructed.
During our travels, I have more questions, despite any prior research I might have done, or videos and photos I might have seen. Definitely, this future community piqued my curiosity, so I did some research. Instead of rebuilding the city’s infrastructure, the government wants to build an entirely new city outside of the Cairo.
One area being developed is an Egyptian mudflat that was once a graveyard for tanks. A large number of investors have sought to reclaim this part of the desert as a new industrial site.
The residential area we saw is part of the vision for Egypt to build a new capital city to replace Cairo. These projects are very controversial, and fueled by the dictatorship. Supposedly, it will feature a smart traffic system, a huge green space bigger that New York City’s Central Park, and a mega-mall, on this flat stretch of desert between the Nile River and the Suez Canal.
The suburbs of Cairo are already bursting at the seams. In the new city being built, there will be housing for 6.5 million people, expected to be larger than Singapore, and the Egypt’s most high tech city. Looking at what they have built so far, with every condo building identical, I wonder how people will find their way home.
Thirty four government ministries are expected to move there, along with a presidential complex. Additionally, it will have Africa’s tallest tower, Egypt’s largest minaret, and the tallest church steeple. The Al Masa Hotel, which will be run by the military, is expected to be completed soon.
I did not know that Cairo, the cultural heart and political capital, is twice the size of New York City, and has 1/5 of Egypt’s population of 97 million people.
A Little History
What was fascinating about going through the Panama Canal was the locks and the “mules” that move the ships through them. The scenery was lovely, but much of it was not very different from what we see in Florida.
The Suez Canal, however, is an entirely different system and environment. It is definitely worth seeing if you ever have a chance to take a cruise that transports you from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean. The trip took less than 12 hours, and the ship moved at the perfect pace, allowing us to view exotic Egyptian landscapes.
A manmade waterway, the Suez Canal is at sea level, so no locks are necessary. Dividing Africa and Asia, it has been a popular trade route since it was opened in 1869. The night before we entered the canal to traverse its 120.11 miles, our ship was anchored outside of the entrance along with cargo ships, tankers, and military ships. The canal reduces the distance from the Arabian Sea to London by approximately 5,500 miles (about 10 days averaging 20 knots).
The original canal was single-lane, but now we can see ships passing by ours, separated by banks of sand dunes. Although it was originally owned by the Egyptian government, European shareholders (mostly British and French) owned the concessionary company until July 1956. From October to July of that year, there was the Suez Crisis, when Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the canal. Egypt still owns and maintains the canal under the SCA (Canal Authority).
Under the Convention of Constantinople, the canal “may be used in time of war as in time of peace, by every vessel of commerce or war, without distinction of flag.” Regardless, it plays an important role in military strategy as both a shortcut and a choke point.
From 2014 to 2016, the canal was expanded and widened, doubling its capacity. Twelve percent of global trade (30% of container ships) passes through the Suez Canal.
A tunnel and a bridge have been constructed for crossing the Suez Canal.
Comentarios