RIYADH — Several Saudis and other people from the Arabian Peninsula participated in the mammoth digging works of the Suez Canal that connects the Red Sea with the Mediterranean Sea about 150 years ago. This information is contained in books and historical notes by travelers and orientalists who visited the Arabian Peninsula and the region. It was also revealed that Saudi families from Al-Qassim and other regions of Saudi Arabia took part in the excavation work, as well as in the distribution of water among the canal workers, by using camels to fetch water. The canal had been in the limelight in recent days following a complete blockage by a container ship that ran aground, stalling briefly a vital artery of the global supply chains. In his book "Travels in Arabia Deserta," the English traveler Charles Doughty narrated the stories of Saudis who worked in digging the canal, when he lived in the Arabian Peninsula desert since 1876, and stayed for several years, moving between Madain Saleh, AlUla, Tayma, Hail, Buraidah and Unaizah, then to Khaibar, Taif and Jeddah. During the desert trip, he recorded an accurate sketch of the Bedouin life. Doughty narrates his acquaintance with a young Saudi man named Ibrahim. He noted that Ibrahim was one of among many Saudis from the Najd region who sought work during the digging of the Suez Canal for cash. Ibrahim believed that around 200 people from Al-Qassim were involved in the work of digging the canal. He saw French, Italians and Greeks engaged in implementing the project, and he assumed that they spoke one language. Describing the toughness of the canal work, Doughty said, quoting Ibrahim, that he saw some parcels that were sent from the Suez Canal work site to the addresses of two shops, and he also spoke about the work of a Frankish woman, hailing from Frankish Empire, who carried a pistol and played the role of the boss supervising workers while they performed their work, as there were large groups of workers from different nations, a mixture of poor people, including Muslims and Christians. The translator of the book commented that it is clear from the context that the digging work of the Suez Canal was not limited to Egyptians alone, but there were many people who participated in this work from the Arabian Peninsula as well as from the Mediterranean region. Doughty also scripted the stories and jokes about Suez from many workers from the Arabian Peninsula, and about coexistence between workers of different religions, as well as the difficulties they faced during work. According to a historical document released by a heritage lover, a number of people from the Ghamid Tribe of the Kingdom traveled to Egypt to participate in the canal digging work. In a letter that dates back to 1864, a young Saudi man called Musaed wrote to his father about the cholera epidemic there in which many people perished. Historians have attributed the travel of Musaed and his peers to the passion of travel in search of livelihood on the part of the Ghamid tribesmen. In the letter it was mentioned about the very good livelihood they enjoyed during the digging works. It is noteworthy that the Suez Canal is a man-made waterway connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean via the Red Sea. The canal stretches 193 km from Port Said on the Mediterranean Sea in Egypt southward to the city of Suez, located on the northern shores of the Gulf of Suez. It took 10 years to build with an estimated 1.5 million people worked on the project and was officially opened on Nov. 17, 1869. It is one of the world's most heavily used shipping lanes, through which about 12 percent of global trade passes. On March 23, 2021, the canal was blocked in both directions by the ultra-large container ship Ever Given when it ran aground after strong winds allegedly blew the ship off course. On running aground, Ever Given turned sideways, completely blocking the canal for almost one week.
