Suez ( / ˈ s uː . ɛ z / , Egyptian Arabic : السويس , romanized: as-Suways , pronounced [esseˈweːs] ) is a seaport city (population of about 700,000 as of August 2021 ) in north-eastern Egypt , located on the north coast of the Gulf of Suez on the Red Sea , near the southern terminus of the Suez Canal , and is the capital of the Suez Governorate . It has three ports: the Suez Port (Port Tewfik), al-Adabiya, and al-Zaytiya, and extensive port facilities. Together they form a metropolitan area , located mostly in Africa with a small portion in Asia .
41-415: Suez is a seaport town in north-eastern Egypt. Suez may also refer to: Suez 29°58′N 32°33′E / 29.967°N 32.550°E / 29.967; 32.550 Railway lines and highways connect the city with Cairo , Port Said , and Ismailia . Suez has a petrochemical plant, and its oil refineries have pipelines carrying the finished product to Cairo. These are represented in
82-587: A container ship called the Ever Given ran aground in the canal and blocked it. Today, the Canal is a vital link in world trade, and contributes significantly to the Egyptian economy; in 2009 the income generated from the canal accounted for 3.7% of Egypt's GDP. The Isthmus of Suez is considered the boundary between Africa and Asia. Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as
123-1034: A hot desert (BWh). The hottest recorded temperature was 49 °C (120 °F) on June 14, 1965 while the coldest recorded temperature was 1 °C (34 °F) on February 23, 2004. Suez is twinned with: William Matthew Flinders Petrie, A History of Egypt. Volume 3: From the XIXth to the XXXth Dynasties, Adamant Media Corporation, ISBN 0-543-99326-4 , p. 366 Barbara Watterson (1997), The Egyptians, Blackwell Publishing, ISBN 0-631-21195-0 , p. 186 [REDACTED] Media related to Suez at Wikimedia Commons Al-Adil Al-Adil I ( Arabic : العادل , in full al-Malik al-Adil Sayf ad-Din Abu-Bakr Ahmed ibn Najm ad-Din Ayyub , Arabic : الملك العادل سيف الدين أبو بكر بن أيوب , "Ahmed, son of Najm ad-Din Ayyub , father of Bakr,
164-536: A Persian; setting out from Persia I conquered Egypt. I ordered to dig this canal from the river that is called Nile and flows in Egypt, to the sea that begins in Persia. Therefore, when this canal had been dug as I had ordered, ships went from Egypt through this canal to Persia, as I had intended." In the 7th century AD a town named " Kolzum " stood just north of the site of present-day Suez and served as eastern terminus of
205-591: A canal built by Amr ibn al-'As , linking the Nile River and the Red Sea . Kolzum's trade fell following the closure of the canal in 770 by the second Abbasid caliph, al-Mansur , to prevent his enemies in Arabia from accessing supplies from Egypt and the lands north of it. Nonetheless, the town benefited from the trade that remained between Egypt and Arabia. By 780 al-Mansur's successor al-Mahdi restored part of
246-460: A marriage with his younger sister Joan of England , then his niece Eleanor, Fair Maid of Brittany , but both were in vain, as Al-Adil showed no interest in Christianity . The key question in the ruling Ayyubid family following the death of Saladin was whether power would remain with Saladin's own sons, or be distributed more widely among its various branches, or, indeed, be concentrated in
287-567: A new Crusade . However, in September 1217 (Jumada II 612) a new crusader army disembarked at Acre. Al-Adil was totally unprepared for this assault and despite being seventy-two years of age he hurriedly took his forces into Palestine to engage with them. The campaigns in Palestine did not bring him any notable success however, and in August 1218 (Jumada 1 615) he received the shocking news that
328-527: A prosperous town, until it was occupied and plundered by Bedouins . Arab geographer al-Dimashqi noted that Kolzum belonged to the Mamluk province of al-Karak at the time. To prevent Portuguese attacks against Egyptian coastal towns and the Red Sea port of Jeddah , Qansuh al-Ghawri , the last Mamluk sultan, ordered a 6,000-man force headed by Selman Reis to defend Suez in 1507, which in turn limited
369-482: A second Crusader force had landed in Egypt and were attacking Damietta. He fell ill and died while on campaign (August 1218) and was succeeded by his son Malik Al-Kamil . Al Adil's rule was decisive in determining the shape of the Ayyubid realm for many years to come. After him, the succession in Egypt and to the coveted title of Sultan remained in the eldest male line of his successors. His descendants also controlled
410-733: Is considered the most affluent area in the city. The real estate there is significantly more expensive than any other district in the city. Its buildings have more modern architectural style than those in the El Arbaeen District. It includes the affluent neighbourhood of Port Tawfik, which directly overlooks the Suez Canal. Port Tawfik includes some old-style houses that date back to the era of English occupation. The district also includes two of Egypt's most important oil refineries; El-Nasr Petroleum Company and Suez Petroleum Company. Also, Suez Port , one of Egypt's main ports, lies within
451-519: The Crusaders (1175–1183). He was governor of Aleppo (1183–1186) but returned to administer Egypt during the Third Crusade (1186–1192); as governor of Saladin's northern provinces (1192–1193), he suppressed the revolt of 'Izz Al-Din of Mosul following Saladin's death (March 1193). On Saladin's death he was governor of Damascus. In 1190, King Richard I of England suggested to Al-Adil
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#1732780955810492-650: The Ottoman Navy to the Red Sea, after the siege of Diu in 1538, a Portuguese fleet was sent in 1541 to seek out and destroy the Ottoman navy. After capturing El Tor on the Egyptian coast, the fleet's commander Estevão da Gama gave the order to attack Suez, but failed to engage the Ottoman fleet as the Ottomans had received intelligence about the incoming attack beforehand. Instead, the Portuguese fleet spent
533-508: The Red Sea to prevent the Ayyubid garrison at Kolzum from accessing water. In response, Saladin's brother al-Adil had Husam ad-Din Lu'lu' build a naval fleet, which sailed to the southern port of Aidab to end Raynald's venture. By the 13th century, it was recorded that Kolzum was in ruins, as was Suez, which had gradually replaced the former as a population center. According to Muslim historians al-Maqrizi and al-Idrisi , Kolzum had once been
574-834: The Great 's Suez Inscriptions were texts written in Old Persian , Elamite , Babylonian and Egyptian on five monuments erected in Wadi Tumilat, commemorating the opening of a canal between the Nile and the Bitter Lakes , to facilitate a shipping connection between Egypt, then a satrapy of the Achaemenid Empire , and Persia (i.e. the greater portion of the Empire itself). Partial transliteration and translation of
615-733: The Gulf of Suez. Ain Sokhna has numerous high-class sea resorts and is frequented by many tourists, Egyptians and foreigners, all over the year due to its warm weather. The district is also home to the Ain Sokhna Sea Port, one of Egypt's main sea ports operated by the Dubai-based DP World Company and the Al-Ataka Fishing Port, which is the city's main fish production port. In ancient times, there
656-828: The Just King, Sword of the Faith"; 1145 – 31 August 1218) was the fourth Sultan of Egypt and Syria , and brother of Saladin , who founded both the Sultanate of Egypt, and the Ayyubid dynasty. He was known to the Crusaders as Saphadin (derived from his laqab or honorific title Sayf ad-Din, meaning "Sword of Faith"), a name by which he is still known in the Western world . A gifted and effective administrator and organizer, Al-Adil provided crucial military and civilian support for
697-785: The Mamluk military's capabilities against the Ottomans in the Mediterranean Sea . Following the Ottoman conquest of Egypt at the beginning of the 16th century, Suez became both a major naval and trading station. The Ottoman fleets at Suez were instrumental in disputing control over Indian Ocean trade with the Portuguese. in the Red Sea in the 16th & 17th century. Campaigns against the Ottoman Empire. Yellow - Factories ( Mokha) Red - Allied Territorie or under influence. Dark Green - Campaigns of Adal. In trying to limit
738-552: The Spring of 1202, and al-Adil had succeeded in exerting his authority over all the Ayyubid dominions. After his victory, he ruled wisely and well over both Egypt and Syria for nearly two decades, promoting trade and good relations with the Crusader states (1200–1217). For much of his reign however the effective ruler of Egypt was his son Al-Kamil . The reign of al Adil was generally more one of consolidation than of expansion. He
779-763: The Suez Canal Company, which had been run by the French and owned privately, with the British as the largest shareholders. In 1956, Israeli, British and French forces invaded the Suez Canal, which became known as the Suez Crisis . Following Israel's invasion and occupation of the Sinai Peninsula in the Six-Day War of 1967, the Canal was closed, and did not reopen until 1975. On March 23, 2021,
820-521: The Suez Canal, following the Yom Kippur War with Israel. Suez was the first city to hold major protests against the government of Hosni Mubarak during the 2011 Egyptian revolution and was the scene of the first fatality of that uprising. On account of this, it has been called the Sidi Bouzid of Egypt, recalling that small town's role in the 2010–2011 Tunisian revolution . In 2021,
861-756: The canal. The Qarmatians led by al-Hasan al-A'sam defeated a Fatimid army headed by Jawhar al-Siqilli at Kolzum in 971 and thereby captured the town. Following his defeat in Cairo by al-Siqilli at the end of that year, Hasan and his forces retreated to Arabia via Kolzum. Suez was situated nearby and served as a source of drinking water for Kolzum, according to the Arab traveler al-Muqaddasi , who visited in 986. The Ayyubid sultan of Egypt, Saladin , fortified both Kolzum and Suez in order to defend Egypt's eastern frontier from Crusader raids by Raynald of Chatillon . Between 1183 and 1184, Raynald had ships stationed in
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#1732780955810902-604: The city. Examples of neighborhoods in Faisal District include Al-Sabbah, Al-Amal and Al-Mushi, to name a few. It is characterised by the existence of many industrial areas. There are plants and factories specialising in fertilisers, cement, steel, cooking oil, flour products, oil rigs, ceramic tiles, sugar, and many other products. There is also the Attaka Power Plant. The district also includes Ain Sokhna, one of Egypt's most important sea resorts, overlooking
943-545: The comparatively short distance between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, the occurrence of a line of lakes or depressions which became lakes ( Lake Manzala in the north, and depressions, Timsah and the Bitter Lakes, part way along the route), and the generally flat terrain. The construction of the canal was proposed by the engineer and French diplomat Ferdinand de Lesseps , who in 1854 acquired from Said Pasha
984-486: The container ship Ever Given became stuck across the Suez canal near Suez. This came to be known as the 2021 Suez Canal obstruction . The city is divided into five main districts: The most populous district of the city, it has most of the government buildings and public institutions. It also has the city's main fruit and vegetable markets in addition to other markets and stores selling various commodities. Suez district
1025-514: The flag of the governorate: the blue background refers to the sea, the gear refers to Suez's status as an industrial governorate, and the flame refers to the petroleum firms of Suez. The modern city of Suez is a successor of the ancient city of Clysma , a major Red Sea port and a center of monasticism. The city's name is derived from a fuʿayl form of the Arabic word for ' liquorice ' (Arabic: سُوس , romanized: sūs ). Darius
1066-1174: The great campaigns of Saladin (an early example of a great minister of war). He was also a capable general and strategist in his own right, and was instrumental in the transformation of the decayed Fatimid Caliphate of Cairo into the Ayyubid Sultanate of Egypt. Al-Adil was a son of Najm ad-Din Ayyub , he was member of Kurdish Ayyubid family and a younger brother of Saladin . He was born in June 1145, possibly in Damascus . He first achieved distinction as an officer in Nur ad-Din Zengi 's army during his uncle Shirkuh 's third and final campaign in Egypt (1168–1169); following Nur ad-Din's death in 1174, Al-Adil governed Egypt on behalf of his brother Saladin and mobilized that country's vast resources in support of his brother's campaigns in Syria and his war against
1107-475: The hands of al-Adil himself. Saladin had required all the Amirs to swear loyalty to his son al-Afdal Ali , but after his death some of his other sons would not accept al-Afdal's overlordship. In the disputes which followed al-Adil often found himself in the position of honest broker between al-Afdal Ali and his brother al-Aziz Uthman , trying to keep the peace. Eventually however al-Adil concluded that al-Afdal Ali
1148-613: The inscription: Transliteration of the Old Persian text: xâmanišiya \ thâtiy \ Dârayavauš \ XŠ \ adam \ Pârsa \ amiy \ hacâ \ Pâ rsâ \ Mudrâyam \ agarbâyam \ adam \ niyaštâyam \ imâm \ yauviyâ m \ katanaiy \ hacâ \ Pirâva \ nâma \ rauta \ tya \ Mudrâyaiy \ danuvatiy \ ab iy \ draya \ tya \ hacâ \ Pârsâ \ aitiy \ pasâva \ iyam \ yauviyâ \ akaniya \ avathâ \ yathâ \ adam \ niyaštâyam \ utâ \ nâva \ âyatâ \ hacâ \ Mudrâ yâ \ tara \ imâm \ yauviyâm \ abiy \ Pârsam \ avathâ \ yathâ \ mâm \ kâma\ âha English translation: "King Darius says: I am
1189-458: The main centres of Ayyubid rule, in southern Anatolia and northern Iraq. He succeeded over time in bringing much of the old Zengid dominions, apart from Mosul and Sinjar, under his control, as well as the region around Lake Van. He took Ahlat in 1207 and brought to an end the rule of the Ahlatshahs . One of the main objects of al-Adil's foreign policy was to avoid provoking the launching of
1230-614: The next 7 months in the Red Sea sailing from port to port and waiting in Massawa before eventually leaving for India. German explorer Carsten Niebuhr noted that in the 18th century a 20-strong fleet sailed annually from Suez to Jeddah , which served both as Mecca 's port and Egypt's gateway for trade with India. However, by the French invasion of Egypt and Syria in 1798, Suez had once again devolved into an unimportant town. Fighting between French and Ottoman troops in 1800 left most of
1271-425: The perimeter of Suez District. This district stretches all the way to the border with Ismailia Governorate and contains the entire Asian territory of the city. It has all the rural areas of the city and can be thought of as the city's "countryside". It includes the newer neighbourhoods of the city. Most of the areas at Faisal District were established after the 1973 Yom Kippur war , which had destroyed vast areas of
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1312-566: The relatively rapid recovery Egypt made from an earthquake in 1200 (597) and the low flooding of the Nile between 1199 and 1202 (595–98). The resulting drought and famine were serious threats, but by a range of measures including sending his soldiers out to work the land, al-Adil ensured continued social and political stability as well as economic recovery. Avoiding a new crusade was the second main concern of al-Adil's reign, and to this end he encouraged trade with European merchants, calculating that if
1353-518: The rights of constructing and operating the canal for a period of 99 years. The Compagnie Universelle du Canal Maritime de Suez was formed. Construction took 11 years, and the canal opened on 17 November 1869. The canal had an immediate and dramatic effect on world trade. In July 1956, just a few days after the fourth anniversary of the Egyptian Revolution of 1952 , the Egyptian government under President Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalised
1394-587: The town in ruins. Its importance as a port increased after the Suez Canal opened in 1869. The city was virtually destroyed during battles in the late 1960s and early 1970s between Egyptian and Israeli forces occupying the Sinai Peninsula . The town was deserted following the Six-Day War in 1967. Avraham Adan tried to capture the city but it failed, it cost the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) 80 troops killed, 120 wounded and 40 tanks destroyed. Reconstruction of Suez began soon after Egypt reopened
1435-478: The trading cities of the Mediterranean had a stake in peaceful trade they would be less inclined to support a new Crusade. He was not entirely successful in this, and there were Frankish naval raids on Rosetta in 1204 (600) and Damietta in 1211 (607). His third concern was to maintain hegemony within the Ayyubid domains without resort to force. He proved to be a skilled diplomat in this respect and managed to avoid any confrontations after 1201. Of particular importance
1476-558: The vassals of both from their allegiance. The arrival of al-Khamil, al-Adil's son, at Damascus with reinforcements and continuing quarrels led to the ending of the siege in December 1199. Al-Afdal retreated to Egypt, but his uncle pursued him and defeated his army at Bilbeis . Fleeing to Cairo, al-Afdal sued for peace on any terms he could get from al-Adil; stripped of Egypt he was promised the cities of Samosata and Mayyafaraqin. On 17 February 1200 al-Adil proclaimed himself 'sultan'. Al-Afdal
1517-458: Was a canal from the Nile delta to the Gulf of Suez, when the gulf extended further north than it does today. This canal fell into disuse, and the present canal was built in the nineteenth century. The Suez Canal offers a significantly shorter passage for ships, as compared to passing round the Cape of Good Hope . The construction of the Suez Canal was favoured by the natural conditions of the region:
1558-455: Was in his late fifties by the time he consolidated his power, and by that time had been almost constantly at war for two decades. His first concern was to rebuild his treasury, which had been left almost empty by his brother's empire-building, the wars with the Crusaders and the struggles within the Ayyubid dynasty itself. Al-Adil introduced reforms both to the currency and to the taxation system. The effectiveness of his measures can be judged from
1599-407: Was refused control of Mayyafaraqin by another of al-Adil's sons, al-Auhad. Al-Afdal once again allied with az-Zahir and the two brothers once more besieged Damascus. However, dissension again broke out between them, with al-Afdal eventually losing the will to continue fighting. Al-Adil confirmed al-Afdal's rule over Samosata, Saruj and a number of other towns. Az-Zahir admitted his uncle's suzerainty in
1640-560: Was simply unfit to rule, and he supported al-Aziz Uthman to become Sultan in his place, forcing his brother into exile. Al-Aziz Uthman's death in 1198 following a riding accident reopened the dynastic struggles once again. Al-Afdal Ali was invited back to Egypt to act as regent to al-Aziz Uthman's twelve-year-old successor, al-Mansur Mohammed . From this power base he joined forces with his brother az-Zahir Ghazi to try and drive al-Adil out of Damascus, which they besieged. Al-Adil, skilfully played his nephews off against each other, and suborned
1681-417: Was the marriage of his daughter Dayfa Khatun to Saladin's son Az-Zahir Ghazi of Aleppo in 1212, which marked the end of the rivalry between the two branches of the family. Al-Adil also undertook a major programme of refortification throughout his domains, and the massive citadel of Damascus was one of his most notable achievements in this respect. Al-Adil's territorial ambitions were focused far away from