The canal opened in 1869 that connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea is the Suez Canal.
The modern canal was built across Egypt’s Isthmus of Suez under the direction of French diplomat and entrepreneur Ferdinand de Lesseps. Construction began in 1859 and took about a decade, involving extensive excavation and large Egyptian labor forces. The waterway was formally inaugurated on November 17, 1869, creating a direct sea route between Europe and the Indian Ocean without requiring ships to sail around Africa.
The Suez Canal is a sea-level passage with no lock system. It runs between Port Said on the Mediterranean and Suez on the Red Sea, passing through natural lakes including Lake Timsah and the Great Bitter Lake. It is commonly mixed up with the Panama Canal, which links the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and uses locks. The Suez route became strategically important for global trade, was nationalized by Egypt in 1956, and was closed from 1967 until its reopening in 1975 after the Arab-Israeli conflict.