Early Suez Canal: Effects on Ethiopia?

Assume the Suez Canal as we know it (capable of carryinv ocean-going vessels) is built earlier on history. Just to pick an arbitrary century, lets say the 14th, as the Pax Mongolica begins to break down and the Silk Road starts to revert to its earlier state.

What effects might this have on Ethiopia? On the one hand, it is well positioned to take advantage of the increase in trade along the Red Sea that will follow the canal’s opening. On the other hand, they’re now within easier reach of more powerful empires that might want such a good position along the Red Sea for themselves.
 
You do realize that various Med-Red Sea canals existed and they all silted up / filled in when bad times hit or the ruler who spent exorbitant sums on the project died.

Also, 'ocean going' was a pretty elastic concept until you start getting North Atlantic trade. Especially when the 'ocean' is the Med.

The other thing to be considered is how you get ships through the canal before steam. Is the canal wide enough you can tack, which adds massively to the expense?
Are only oar powered vessels using the canal, which would massively limit cargo capacity in the Indian Ocean.
Are you going to have a tow path, and how many horses or oxen does it take to tow a full sized ship. Where do you get the folder and water for the draft animals?
Or are you going to use galleys as tug boats?

Who pays for buiding it? Who pays the upkeep? Is there enough luxury traffic to make it affordable?

Remember that the Suez of OTL initially had a lot of problems with profitability, and that's with lots of global trade, steam ships and steam powered construction and maintenance equipment.

If it's a vanity project of some pharoah, the canal only lasts as long as he does, which won't be long. There won't really be time for any significant effects on Ethiopia. Sorry.
 
You do realize that various Med-Red Sea canals existed and they all silted up / filled in when bad times hit or the ruler who spent exorbitant sums on the project died.

Also, 'ocean going' was a pretty elastic concept until you start getting North Atlantic trade. Especially when the 'ocean' is the Med.

The other thing to be considered is how you get ships through the canal before steam. Is the canal wide enough you can tack, which adds massively to the expense?
Are only oar powered vessels using the canal, which would massively limit cargo capacity in the Indian Ocean.
Are you going to have a tow path, and how many horses or oxen does it take to tow a full sized ship. Where do you get the folder and water for the draft animals?
Or are you going to use galleys as tug boats?

Who pays for buiding it? Who pays the upkeep? Is there enough luxury traffic to make it affordable?

Remember that the Suez of OTL initially had a lot of problems with profitability, and that's with lots of global trade, steam ships and steam powered construction and maintenance equipment.

If it's a vanity project of some pharoah, the canal only lasts as long as he does, which won't be long. There won't really be time for any significant effects on Ethiopia. Sorry.

Disagreed on most of these details, but I honestly don’t have the energy on a hot summer day to hash out all the problems in detail.

But a red-med canal will have far less problem with silt than a red-nike canal, and I think you’re vastly underestimating the size of med trading ships.
 
Wasn't the coastal region of Ethiopia in nowadays Eritrea at best a highly autonomous province and at times openly revolting against the Ethiopian emperor?
 

Lusitania

Donor
Wasn't the coastal region of Ethiopia in nowadays Eritrea at best a highly autonomous province and at times openly revolting against the Ethiopian emperor?

If we are referring to Christian Ethiopia then the impact be minimal. The reason was that the coastal areas were for most part controlled by Muslims who as you mentioned were for most part autonomous.

So if the canal was built by Muslim Egypt (of Muslim controller of Egypt) there would not been any impact.

To have an impact the canal would have to be built by Christian country who controlled Egypt. The Christisn would of then been able to control the Red Sea and if possible coordinating with Ethiopia help them regain control of their coast along the Red Sea. In return the Christian country could of gained control if the islands in the Red Sea. Now you have a Christian Ethiopia in direct contact with European Christians.

But that would be a huge undertaking and high near ASB.
 

Lusitania

Donor
Not really. The Suez Canal was built with mostly manual labor, historically. The only challenge is economic.
As I was indicating for there to be an impact on Ethiopia it would need to be a Christian country controlling Egypt. Which is why I was stating That a Christian Kingdom conquering Egypt and building the canal was ASB
 
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What effects might this have on Ethiopia? On the one hand, it is well positioned to take advantage of the increase in trade along the Red Sea that will follow the canal’s opening.

For most of this period, Christian Ethiopia is landlocked, and the coastal lowlands are dominated by Muslim polities. So Ethiopia itself wouldn't benefit, the increased trade revenue would go to the coastal Muslims which might give them the extra push to fully conquer Ethiopia, which is plausible because after all they already came close in the OTL Abyssinian-Adal War.
 
Right, so not the Canal of the Pharoahs, but a legit Suez Canal.

That is still a better canal, but damn if that isn't at risk of bankrupting whoever built it. Perhaps the Mamluks partner with Timur. Perhaps during the 3rd reign of an-Nasir Muhammed, we're looking at 30k people at any one time, which is basically an army in its own right.

The motivation is a little more odd - I suppose if the Mamluks start considering expanding trade with Europe, or a scheme to undermine the trade routes of the east. (Effectively a White Elephant project until its complete)

There are other benefits, when built it becomes without a doubt the fastest route to the Hajj from Africa, Egypt, Syria, etc. The major benefit is that they could use the canal to increase their revenues and the quantity of trade they receive through Venice.

Sourcing the slaves could be anywhere from prisoners of war, slave purchases from West Africa via North Africa, Ethiopian slaves (in fact, the Mamluks could even send an army to what is now Eritrea to capture slaves and take more control over the straits) - all of which can work to build the canal, however slowly it may be.

But we've finished in in the 1300s. Lets go late 1300s. We have a Mamluks that has probably appeared weaker, suddenly more powerful than its ever been if it completes the project. It can build a navy that can operate in the Red Sea and Med, and is able to cut Persia (and thus also the Turks) out of the Silk Road and Indian trade because its quicker, cheaper, and easier to trade with the Mamluks. Strategic concerns suddenly include places like Hormuz, and overseas in the Maldives and Ceylon.

Basically it creates a new Mamluk Golden Age when it historically died. Or if someone still kills it, makes them all the more dangerous. It also makes Venice more dangerous - it is the major trade partner, it could very well be paying the fees to go trade with India.
 
If Christian Ethiopia has contact with Christians in Europe, then this may lead to earlier unification and centralization of the Ethiopian state under whatever Ethiopian Emperor but it could also lead to the Islamic states surrounding Ethiopia successfully destroying her. This Christian Ethiopia's maximum extent of expansion is its rough OTL borders as the Emperor centralizes his power, establishing a professional army with European advisors and arms which go on campaigns of conquering the Horn of Africa. A Christian Ethiopian Empire is formed, the Emperor purging those unwilling to convert or submit to him as the Horn of Africa becomes dominated by Ethiopian influence and slowly industrializes with European assistance in the face of the Egyptians and Ottomans.

Then again, Egypt could successfully conquer Ethiopia earlier and then she becomes a vassal.
 
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