SUEZ CANAL © nation ofbelleépoquearchitecture, energy. modernshippinginfrastructure andportside ofEgypt, theSuezCanaland ruinsthatcharacterise offers other parts anintriguingcombi- urban triooffers analtogetherdistinctive experience. Incontrastwiththetemples, pyramids fromtherestcentres, ofEgypt. settingthemapart the wide,leafyboulevardsandgracefulcolonialarchitecture liningtheirpicturesque town fered greatly frombombardments. However, their19th-centurybeginnings in stillsurvive grew inprominence,thesecitieswere onthefrontlineduringwarswithIsraelandsuf- Said,IsmailiaandSuez.Colonialcreations thatemergedcanal, namelyPort whenthecanal the RedSea. result, few foreigners settheirsightsontheSuez,asidefromEuropean yachtiesboundfor the canalonprivate boatsandindependenttravel intheregion istightlycontrolled.As a itsPanamanianlike securitymeasures Strict counterpart. prevent touristsfromtransiting lifeline oftheEgyptian economy. asthe than 20,000shipsayearbetweentheMediterranean andtheRedSea,serves as wellAfrica fromAsia. At 163kminlength,theSuezCanal facilitates thetransitofmore sands oftheIsthmusSuez,canalseparates mainlandEgypt fromtheSinaiPeninsula The Suez Canal istruly one oftheworld’sgreatest engineering marvels. Slicingthroughthe Canal Suez 406

L If youhave thetimeandinclinationtostep offEgypt’s more troddentrails,thecanal’s The appealoftheregion liesinthethree citiesthatsitalongthewestern banksofthe Despite theseimpressive statistics,theSuezCanal isnotwellsetupfortourism,un-

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o n Watch supertankers appear toglidethrough Watchsupertankers Admire more from than4000objects Step intoEgypt’s colonialpastwhilewander- Take the whileadmiring Strollalong thewaterfront e the desert inthecityof the desert (p411) rarely visited IsmailiaMuseum Pharaonic timesatthe andGraeco-Roman Ismailia ing throughtheoldEuropeanof quarter Said(oppositePort ) the graceful19th-centuryarchitecture of canal’s southernterminus Fuad togetabrieftaste oflife onthecanal l y

P l a n e t ( p411) ferry ( p408 SaidtoPort ) fromPort Suez 43) the ( p413), Port Said Ismailia Port Fuad Suez SUEZ CANAL 407 9am-midnight) Next to Ferial 322 3663; Sharia Orabi) (Sharia al-Gomhuriyya; h 322 0694; Sharia Safiyya Zaghloul) % (Sharia al-Gomhuriyya; ( 322 8570; post office bldg, off Sharia % ( % ( (per hr E£3; 9am-2pm & 6.30-8pm Sat-Thu) 9am-2pm & 6.30-8pm 066 / pop 570,000 066 / 8.30am-2pm & 6-8pm Sun-Thu) 8.30am-2pm & 6-8pm Most banks and important services are PORT SAID SAID PORT Orientation Orientation

al-Gomhuriyya) Gardens. MONEY MONEY Bank of Alexandria National Bank of Egypt h Port Said was declared a duty-free port in port in a duty-free Port Said was declared 1976. In theory, everyone must pass through the city, and leaving customs when entering thoughthis is seldom in practice enforced. passport your to have be sure Regardless, with you. EMERGENCY Tourist police INTERNET ACCESS Compunet MEDICAL SERVICES Delafrant Hospital Public Hospital Fuad, which can be reached by a free ferry that ferry by a free can be reached Fuad, which crosses the Suez Canal for anyone – perfect own yacht. who doesn’t own their to the mainland by Port Said is connected and a causeway to the south to a bridge between Port is also a ferry the west. There on the Port Fuad town of Said and its sister canal. the side of opposite blocks inland. Information CUSTOMS % and the reason Said’s main attraction, Port for its establishment on the Mediterranean, Canal.is the Suez and enormous ships The through lining up to pass the canal’s tankers sight an impressive are northern entrance in the damaged Althoughto behold. heavily the of with Israel, much wars 1967 and 1973 lines. along its historic city has been rebuilt a prosperous and Today, Port Said exudes its historic waterfront bustling air, particularly colonial buildings. The 19th-century late of Port leafy suburb of city is also home to the h on Sharia Palestine, which runs along the runs along the which Palestine, on Sharia al-Gomhuriyya, two canal, or on Sharia To Qalaat To Nakhl (100km); Tunnel Rafah (180km) Ras

Taba (240km) Sudr

al-Gindi (50km) Ahmed Hamdi Port Fuad Canal 55

To Al-Arish (135km); Port Said Suez S E A 00 10 km 5 miles

Lake Little Bitter Ain Musa Suez Canal Suez To Mt Sinai (220km); Port Sharm el-Sheikh (300km) Tawfiq Lake Timsah (Springs of Moses) (Crocodile Lake) Al-Ballah

Al-Ferdan Suez Canal Suez Suez M E D I T E R R A N E A N M E D I T E R R A Lake Bitter Great Qantara Suez Gulf of Ismailia SUEZ CANAL •• Port Said Fayid 44 Lake Manzala Ras al-Bar 33 44 3 Damietta (Dumyat) Tanis Al-Matariyya Ain Sukhna San al-Hagar Hurghada (330km)

To Zafarana (30km);

SUEZ CANAL SUEZ River Nile (75km) (80km) To Faqus (4km) To Cairo To Zagazig (40km) To Cairo To Cairo (136km) To Mansura (50km) lonelyplanet.com