Ramses the Great's Canal: The Nile-Red Sea Waterway

Before the Suez Canal, before Darius, there was Ramses the Great's canal — an ancient waterway linking the Nile to the Red Sea. This episode traces the engineering, logistics, and geopolitics behind this forgotten megaproject. We follow the canal's route from the Pelusiac branch of the Nile near Per-Ramesses, through the Wadi Tumilat, to the Bitter Lakes and the Gulf of Suez. We discuss the corvée labour system that built it, the ships that sailed it (Byblos-runner types and Punt-venturing vessels), and the stelae Ramses erected to commemorate his achievement, including the one found at Tell el-Maskhuta. We explore how the canal enabled trade with Punt, bypassed the Nile cataracts for Red Sea access, and later influenced Necho II and Darius I. We also examine the controversy: was this a fully navigable canal or a seasonal irrigation channel? Archaeological evidence from the 20th century excavation by Labib Habachi and others is weighed. Finally, we consider the canal's role in Ramses's broader imperial strategy — tying together his delta capital, his Nubian gold routes, and his Asian campaigns. A fascinating look at ancient state infrastructure and the power of water. #RamsesTheGreat #AncientEgypt #Canal #RedSea #Nile #WadiTumilat #PerRamesses #TellElMaskhuta #LabibHabachi #Punt #SuezCanal #AncientEngineering #CorveeLabor #NechoII #DariusI #Kemet #FexingoHistory #NorthAfrica Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo