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Al-Ahram Weekly 18 - 24 November 1999 Issue No. 456 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 18 - 24 November 1999 Issue No. 456
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Treacherous waters
Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Special Profile Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters "Khedive Ismail was busy preparing the reception of the visitors who were going to honour Egypt by their presence: Empress Eugénie, the Emperor of Austria, the Royal Prince of Prussia, the brother of the king of the Netherlands, the grand Duke of Luxembourg, the ambassadors and his own private guests attending the inauguration of the canal. He was totally absorbed by the preparations; he was in his element; he was directing everything, involving himself in the smallest details, settling everything. Our company was starting to arrive. The day of the inauguration was set for 17 November 1869."
Nubar Pasha, Memoirs
The Compagnie Universelle du Canal Maritime de Suez, formed in 1858 by and featuring French shareholders, French capital and French management, with Egypt supplying unpaid forced labour, substantial land grants and customs exemptions, was now ready to take over the management of the Suez Canal. It would be a consistent Egyptian claim that the country's contribution to the canal in terms of money, labour and lives was far greater than that of any other.
The grand opening was scarcely less surreal than its portrayal, above, by Alexandrian artist Mahmoud Said. By 1875, however, the khedive was facing bankruptcy; his shares were snapped up for a song by British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli. Thereafter, the Suez Canal was described by the British as "another name for the Thames", "the swing door of Empire", and "the jugular vein of world and Empire shipping".
On 26 July 1956, President Gamal Abdel-Nasser nationalised the Suez Canal. On 30 October of the same year, he rejected an Anglo-French ultimatum. Military operations against Egypt began on the evening of 31 October, leaving enough time for the evacuation of American citizens. The first waves of Canberra bombers from Cyprus attacked Egyptian airfields in the late afternoon, but missed the military target and hit the civilian airfield, Cairo International Airport, instead. British Prime Minister Anthony Eden had initiated hostilities against Egypt; France and Israel soon joined in. The following events brought the crisis to an end, giving Egypt complete control over the Suez Canal, 12 years before the concession granted by Khedive Said to de Lesseps was to have expired.
6 November 1956: Eden announces that the cease-fire will begin at midnight
30 November: The British Cabinet accepts unconditional withdrawal from Egypt
22 December 1956: British troops complete their evacuation
Also see:
- Once more into the breach by Fayza Hassan
- From the Red to the Med by Amira Ibrahim
