Suez Travel Guide
Suez is the capital of a governorate with the same name. It is located east of the Nile Delta at the southern entrance to the Suez Canal.
Suez has a long, rich history dating back to the reign of the 6th Pharaonic dynasty in the middle of the 25th Century B.C. when the kings of ancient Egypt used the city to protect the eastern section of the country from outer invasions.
The city's surface area is around 10,000 square kilometers, and its population is estimated to be about half a million inhabitants, most of whom immigrated to Suez during the construction of the Suez Canal and afterward.
Suez has four central neighborhoods: Suez, Arba'een, Ataqqa, and Ganayen. The oldest is Suez, which hosts most government facilities and buildings. Arba'een has the most inhabitants and commercial activities.
Ataqqa, on the other hand, is the city's industrial section, with many factories working mainly in the petroleum sector and a commercial port used for shipping goods to many regions around the Red Sea.
The Ganayen ("the gardens") neighborhood is the most beautiful section of the governorate of Suez, with large cultivated land and beautiful gardens. This section also hosts the Ahmed Hamdi Tunnel, the main route connecting Sinai to the East with the rest of Egypt to the West.
The Geographical Location of Suez
The city of Suez is southeast of the Nile Delta, to the far West of the Suez Gulf, and at the southern entrance of the Suez Canal. The eastern desert of Egypt, located between Suez and Cairo, occupies the western borders of the governorate.
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The History of Suez in Ancient Times
The city of Suez was well-known in ancient Egypt as it was used for mining activities in Sinai and to prevent any foreign attacks from Palestine or Syria into Egypt. Since ancient times, Egypt has always had a town on the northern edge of the Suez Gulf. This town was called "Sekot" in Pharaonic times and is located 17 km West of the modern-day city of Ismailia.
Geological researchers have proven that the Suez Gulf used to extend to the Temsah Lake during the Pharaonic period, which is located in Ismailia today. Still, the water of the Suez Gulf receded towards the Great Bitter Lakes in the South afterward. This created a series of ravines in front of Heropolice, the name of the city of Suez in Roman times, and prevented the town from having a port on the Red Sea. This was why a new port and town was established during the Ptolemaic period called Cleopatra.
Afterward, this town was called Clisma. When the Arabs conquered Egypt in the 7th century A.D., they used the town as a port and named it Caspian. During the 10th century A.D., a small neighborhood appeared to the South of Caspian, and it was called Suez. As time passed, Suez and Caspian became a larger town with a port on the Red Sea.
The city of Suez is an excellent example of how towns would change their locations to function better. No matter Suez's name, it was always the best location for a port on the Red Sea in Egypt.
The Modern History of Suez
The rise of the modern city of Suez started with digging the Suez Canal, constructing the Portawfiq Port, and expanding the water passageway in front of the town to enable larger ships to pass through the Suez Canal.
Suez was a small, peaceful town until the 19th century. It served as a port connecting Egypt with Sinai and the Arabian Peninsula. The pre-canal city only had a population of around 3,000 or 4,000 inhabitants in 1860.
Everything changed in the city with the beginning of the Suez Canal. The population increased dramatically in a limited period, with many workers emigrating from different Egyptian towns to come and work in the Suez Canal.
The town developed and flourished like never before after establishing the railway line at the end of the 20th century, connecting Suez with the other cities on the Suez Canal and with Cairo. It became an important industrial and commercial center on the Red Sea, visited frequently by many people. The number of inhabitants of Suez increased from 4,000 in 1860 to 11,316 in 1882 and 49,686 in 1937 until it reached around 120,000 in 1960 with the nationalization of the Suez Canal by Gamal Abdel Nasser.
The Valiant City of Suez
The people of Suez have shown great courage in defending their beloved city against different attacks throughout the city's modern history, protecting it against the British and then the Israelis afterward. They bravely fought against the British army troops during the British occupation of Egypt in battles where the people of Suez were fewer in number and far less equipped, the lesson that taught them how to struggle hard for their rights and freedom.
The Battle of October 24, 1973
October 24, 1973, has become the National Day of Suez. This was when the people of Suez, with the help of the Egyptian army and police, prevented Israeli forces from entering the city through the Deversoir Gap.
The Israeli army thought that they would not face any resistance from the people of Suez, and they wanted to achieve a victory that would be spread all over the international media as they would have occupied one of the most important cities in Egypt. However, the courageous inhabitants of Suez showed unparalleled bravery in defending their city and could stop Israeli troops from entering the city. They also destroyed many tanks and cars that belonged to the Israeli army. Unfortunately, Suez was severely beaten during battles between the Egyptian and Israeli armies between 1967 and 1973. However, the city was rebuilt again to regain its position as one of Egypt's essential ports and centers.
Tourist Attractions of Suez
Although there is little interest to tourists inside the city of Suez except for watching large ships passing through the Suez Canal and relaxing over a cold drink near Portawfiq, the town is a great resting point for travelers from Cairo to Sinai. Additionally, Suez is near some of the exciting sites in the canal region, like the beaches of Ain El Sokhna, located south of the city, or Ain Musa and the Temple of Serabet El Khadim in Sinai.
Ain Musa
Even though the historical site of Ain Musa is not inside the city of Suez, it is only 20 kilometers southeast of the town. You drive through the Ahmed Hamdi Tunnel to reach the Sinai Peninsula and come to Ain Musa, "the Springs of Moses." According to the Old Testament, Moses turned a bitter spring into sweet drinking water after throwing a branch into it when he was instructed to do so by God.
Although Ain Musa continued to be a source of fresh water for the local Bedouins of the area until the middle of the 19th century, only two springs of the 12 mentioned in the Book of Exodus have survived until today.
The Israeli army used Ain Musa as a stronghold during their occupation of Sinai in 1967. Still, it was recaptured by Egyptian forces again in 1973 after brutal battles between the two sides.
Only about 3 kilometers north of Ain Musa is the Military Touristic Memorial created by the Egyptian army to commemorate their victory over Israel in the War of the Sixth of October 1973. This memorial includes some sections of the Bar Lev Defense line that the Israeli military constructed in the western area of Sinai to prevent the Egyptian army from entering the peninsula. It also includes several weapons, tools, types of equipment, tanks, and photos that the Egyptians captured from the Israeli army after their victory.
