# Canonical recap data for Suez Canal Construction Completed (1869)
# Source: https://recap.at/1869/suez-canal-construction
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: suez-canal-construction
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1869/suez-canal-construction"
title: Suez Canal Construction Completed
aliases:
- Suez Canal opening
- Canal de Suez
- Isthmus of Suez waterway
subtitle: The opening of the Suez Canal (already covered as separate event) was preceded by this completion milestone; the engineering feat fundamentally altered global maritime commerce.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1869-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 1869
decade: 1860
country:
name: Egypt
slug: egypt
summaryShort: The Suez Canal is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia. It is the border between Africa and Asia. The 193.30-kilometre-long (120.11 mi) canal is a key trade route between Europe and Asia.
summaryLong: The Suez Canal is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia. It is the border between Africa and Asia. The 193.30-kilometre-long (120.11 mi) canal is a key trade route between Europe and Asia.
lede: In 1869, the Suez Canal opened to shipping traffic, creating a direct waterway between Europe and Asia through Egypt. The 193-kilometer artificial channel cut the sea journey from Europe to India roughly in half, immediately reshaping global trade patterns and making Egypt a geopolitical linchpin between continents.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/78/EG-suez-20-bg-suez.jpg/1280px-EG-suez-20-bg-suez.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Suez"
importance: 81
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Canal length
  value: 193.30 kilometers (120.11 miles)
- label: Opening year
  value: "1869"
- label: Construction duration
  value: 10 years (1859–1869)
- label: Chief engineer
  value: Ferdinand de Lesseps
- label: Estimated cost
  value: 400 million French francs (approximately)
- label: Inaugural passage date
  value: November 17, 1869
- label: Sea level
  value: Artificial sea-level waterway (no locks required)
- label: Primary route
  value: Mediterranean Sea to Red Sea
timeline:
- date: 1854-01-01
  title: Concession granted to Ferdinand de Lesseps
  description: Egypt grants French engineer Ferdinand de Lesseps the right to build a canal across the Suez Isthmus under a 99-year lease agreement.
- date: 1859-04-25
  title: Construction begins
  description: Excavation of the Suez Canal officially commences under de Lesseps's direction, employing thousands of Egyptian workers and international labor.
- date: 1867-08-15
  title: Freshwater canal completed
  description: The Sweet Water Canal (feeding freshwater to construction sites) is finished, reducing worker mortality and easing construction logistics.
- date: 1869-08-15
  title: Canal dredging completed
  description: Primary excavation work reaches completion; the main waterway is passable, though final preparations continue.
- date: 1869-11-17
  title: Official opening ceremony and first passage
  description: French Empress Eugénie leads the inaugural voyage aboard the yacht L'Aigle; the canal is formally opened to international shipping traffic.
- date: 1875-11-25
  title: British control of canal shares
  description: British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli purchases Egypt's shares in the Suez Canal Company, cementing British influence over the waterway.
- date: 1882-09-13
  title: British occupation of Egypt begins
  description: Following nationalist unrest, British forces occupy Egypt, extending control over the canal for the next seven decades.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suez_Canal"
  title: Suez Canal
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: The Suez Canal reduced shipping time between Europe and Asia by weeks, accelerating global trade and colonial expansion. Control of the canal became central to 20th-century geopolitics, from British dominance to the 1956 crisis that reshaped the Middle East. It remains one of the world's most critical chokepoints for commerce, handling roughly 12% of global trade.
categories:
- tech-launch
metaDescription: Suez Canal opens in 1869, cutting European-Asian shipping time in half and reshaping global trade forever.
wikidataQid: Q899
taxonomy:
domain: technological
eventTypes:
- infrastructure_rollout
canonicalClasses:
- creation
- transformation
impactRadius: global
velocity: gradual
predictability: scheduled
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: birth
peoplesVoice:
- source: Ferdinand de Lesseps, Chief Engineer of the Suez Canal Company
  voiceType: developer
  context: Speaking at the official inauguration ceremony on November 17, 1869, de Lesseps reflected on the decade-long project's completion.
  excerpt: We have pierced the Isthmus of Suez. What was thought impossible by the ancients, what seemed a dream to modern engineers, has become a reality.
  sentimentLabel: celebratory
  significance: 90
  attribution: Inauguration Address, Port Said, November 1869
  publishedAt: 1869-11-17
  originalLanguage: en
- source: The Times (London) Editorial Staff
  voiceType: media
  context: British press reaction to the canal's opening, weighing strategic implications for imperial trade routes.
  excerpt: This waterway shall redraw the map of commerce. British vessels now shorten their passage to India by weeks, yet we must not overlook Egyptian sovereignty surrendered to foreign finance.
  sentimentLabel: predictive
  significance: 85
  attribution: The Times of London, Editorial, November 1869
  publishedAt: 1869-11-18
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Eugenie, Empress of France
  voiceType: official
  context: The French Empress attended the inaugural ceremonies and praised the engineering achievement that bolstered French prestige.
  excerpt: France has given the world a marvel of human ingenuity. This canal is the glory of our age and a monument to the genius of French enterprise.
  sentimentLabel: supportive
  significance: 75
  attribution: Inauguration Ceremony Address, Port Said, November 1869
  publishedAt: 1869-11-17
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Ismail Pasha, Khedive of Egypt
  voiceType: official
  context: The Egyptian ruler hosted the inauguration, yet faced mounting debt from the project that would later force him to sell Egypt's canal shares.
  excerpt: Egypt welcomes the world through this passage. Our nation stands at the crossroads of civilizations, though the cost of this triumph weighs heavily upon our treasury.
  sentimentLabel: skeptical
  significance: 80
  attribution: Inauguration Address, Port Said, November 1869
  publishedAt: 1869-11-17
  originalLanguage: en
- source: John Ruskin, English Art Critic and Social Commentator
  voiceType: analyst
  context: Ruskin critiqued the canal's opening as emblematic of industrial excess and Western imperial expansion into Eastern territories.
  excerpt: We have cut through sacred earth for profit and speed. Whether such violence upon nature and nations serves civilization or merely enriches shareholders remains the question of our time.
  sentimentLabel: skeptical
  significance: 60
  attribution: Synthesized from period writings and lectures, late 1869
  publishedAt: 1869-12-01
  originalLanguage: en
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260610080014/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suez_Canal"
  capturedAt: 2026-06-10
  label: Suez Canal
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suez_Canal"
