The procession of ships in the Suez canal for its opening. Illustration from the magazine “The Illustrated London News, volume LV, November 18, 1869. DEA / BIBLIOTECA AMBROSIANA/Getty Images

The toll and toil it took to cleave the Suez Canal through the Egyptian desert

Prior to the mid-19th century, the Isthmus of Suez – the 125km strip of land that lies between the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea – was a quiet spot.

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