How did the Ottoman neglect of Alexandria’s Nile canal contribute to the city’s decline?

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Abu El-Abbas mosque in Alexandria, Egypt, featuring ornate domes, arched entrances, intricate stonework, and a large patterned courtyard in the foreground. — Alexandria The mosque of Abū al-ʿAbbās al-Mursī, Alexandria, Egypt.

Under Ottoman rule, the decline of Alexandria was significantly accelerated by the neglect of the canal that linked the city to the Rosetta branch of the Nile. By allowing this vital waterway to silt up, the authorities effectively severed the city's primary commercial lifeline.1

This infrastructure failure crippled Alexandria’s ability to function as a major trading hub, reducing it from a once-flourishing center of commerce to a small, diminished port by the time of the French invasion in 1798. The city’s fortunes were not reversed until the early 19th century, when Muḥammad ʿAlī reopened access to the Nile by constructing the Al-Maḥmūdiyyah Canal between 1818 and 1820, which served as a catalyst for the city's modern rebirth.12