when did the suez canal open

The Suez Canal officially opened on 17 November 1869.

Quick Scoop

• The modern Suez Canal was inaugurated on 17 November 1869 in a grand ceremony attended by European royalty and dignitaries.

• It immediately created a direct sea route between the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea, dramatically shortening travel between Europe and Asia.

• The water of the two seas was first joined earlier that same year, in August 1869, after about a decade of construction work.

In short: when asking “when did the Suez Canal open,” historians point to its formal inauguration date — 17 November 1869.

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