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When did construction of the modern Suez Canal begin?
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Suez Canal
Ships in the Suez Canal in Egypt. One of the world's most important shipping lanes, the Suez Canal connects the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea.
Construction of the modern Suez Canal began in 1859.1
While various canal projects had been proposed and attempted in the region since antiquity, the modern maritime project was initiated after Ferdinand de Lesseps received an Act of Concession from the viceroy of Egypt, Saʿīd Pasha, in 1854. The Suez Canal Company was subsequently granted the right to operate the waterway, and construction proceeded over the next decade, facing challenges such as labor difficulties and a cholera epidemic, before the canal was officially opened on November 17, 1869.12