Ancient Egyptian canal question: was there or wasn't there a canal from the Nile to the Red Sea?

The Canal of Sesostris (of the Pharaohs), also called Necho's Canal and other names, was said to have been constructed in ancient times. Its purpose was to link the Nile to the Red Sea thru the Wadi Tumilat. Work began under the Pharaohs according to Inscriptions and the Greek Herodotus. it was said that the first opening of the canal was when the Persian Darius the Great ruled Egypt. Yet, later ancient authors like Pliny the Elder, Aristotle, and others claimed the work was never completed.

Map showing in red (and in Arabic) the proposed route of said canal



Wikipedia the canals of the Pharaohs

Legend

Another shorter article on the same question from 3 years ago

When looking at google earth there is a canal running along the route that is depicted connecting the lake and the Suez canal with the Nile.

I don't know how old that one is, but if "new" it could have been build on the remnant of the old canal.

BTW, your second link doesn't work.

originally posted by: Mianeye


BTW, your second link doesn't work.

The link has an extra http thingy attached to the end.

There you go:

weekly.ahram.org.eg...

a reply to: Hanslune

I doubt it ever was completed.

Wouldn't that have ruined the Nile farming downriver from mixing Red Sea seawater with the Nile's freshwater?

The Egyptians were pretty darn smart but not perfect as this may prove.

a reply to: DupontDeux

Thanks.

That link had a lot more info, so my above suggestion is not relevant.

Leaves the question open for me.

If they did create a canal it would have been a major achievement.

originally posted by: DupontDeux

originally posted by: Mianeye


BTW, your second link doesn't work.

The link has an extra http thingy attached to the end.

There you go:

weekly.ahram.org.eg...

Thank you much!

originally posted by: SLAYER69
a reply to: Hanslune

I doubt it ever was completed.

Wouldn't that have ruined the Nile farming downriver from mixing Red Sea seawater with the Nile's freshwater?

The Egyptians were pretty darn smart but not perfect as this may prove.

It's an interesting little tidbit and a good example to not trust all ancient sources!

Herodotus as we all know was famous for just taking stories as facts, but as slayer pointed out it would have hurt their farming, though if it was Darius commissioned it he wouldn't of cared to much on local agriculture. Just an easier link/route to Egypt,so meh I'd take Pliny as a source over Herod

originally posted by: SLAYER69
a reply to: Hanslune

I doubt it ever was completed.

Wouldn't that have ruined the Nile farming downriver from mixing Red Sea seawater with the Nile's freshwater?

The Egyptians were pretty darn smart but not perfect as this may prove.

The nile at that point is 60 feet above sea level.
The red sea is at zero.
The nile would be flowing into the red sea.

They would have needed locks or it would have been like shooting rapids.
Did the ancient Egyptians use locks?

a reply to: badgerprints

Well that makes more sense.

The Nile was their everything, They had dams and locks would have been something well within their technical abilities I'd guess.

a reply to: SLAYER69


I actually have more doubts that it wasn't finished than not. Pharaohs tended to get stuff done.

originally posted by: badgerprints

originally posted by: SLAYER69
a reply to: Hanslune

I doubt it ever was completed.

Wouldn't that have ruined the Nile farming downriver from mixing Red Sea seawater with the Nile's freshwater?

The Egyptians were pretty darn smart but not perfect as this may prove.

The nile at that point is 60 feet above sea level.
The red sea is at zero.
The nile would be flowing into the red sea.

They would have needed locks or it would have been like shooting rapids.
Did the ancient Egyptians use locks?

They were masters at irrigation but I suspect their surveying wasn't up to establishing a drop in elevation. Perhaps that is what happened; they started the canal and found the water was flowing down into as they followed the lay of the land and they went "hmmmmmm'. I'm not aware that they ever created locks. They certainly never went around the various cataracts up river.