Fatimid Caliphate Creates a Suez Canal in 1066

I believe the effectiveness of a Suez Canal in the pre-steam era has been discussed a lot of times.Theoretically,yes,the canal could be built if enough cash and manpower has been devoted to it,but does it worth it?According to the experts of this forum,no--this is because ships in the Mediterranean are predominantly galleys while ships that needs to sail the Indian Ocean are wind powered sailing ships,that means that you will need to change ships regardless of there being a canal or not.
 
1066 and the Fatimid Caliphate is in the middle of civil war between the various ethnic groups who made up the military (Turks, Berbers, Aub-saharan Africans, etc) as well as going through a harsh famine. I don't think that would be the right time period. However, I could see it proposed during 1070s - 1090s with Badr Al-Jamali as Vizier, once the Caliphate was restored back to order.
But in order for it to really occur, you'd need a Caliph who's similar to the Ming emperors of China in creating pet projects for themselves as acts of their prestige, and I don't know how likely that is.
 

The Poarter

Banned
This timeline isn't so much as a discussion about whether or not it would occur but how such a canal would effect the rest of the world around it.
 
I believe the effectiveness of a Suez Canal in the pre-steam era has been discussed a lot of times.Theoretically,yes,the canal could be built if enough cash and manpower has been devoted to it,but does it worth it?According to the experts of this forum,no--this is because ships in the Mediterranean are predominantly galleys while ships that needs to sail the Indian Ocean are wind powered sailing ships,that means that you will need to change ships regardless of there being a canal or not.

It really depends on the world economic situation at the time. Trade should be high enough in most periods that a modest toll would pay for construction within a decade or so.
 
like people said, you would have to change ships from the Mediterranean to the Indian.

However a Mediterranean ship can do well in the Red Sea and would increase trade to the western coast of Arabia and switching boats would be much easier with a Canal in place.
 
The ability to SHIP cargo from India to the Mediterranean would by pass a lot of middle-men in Asia Minor. Egypt would become a wealthy trading nation while Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, the Balkans, etc. would stagnate.

An earlier Suez Canal would also allow Egypt to trade East African goods with Europeans.
 
I believe the effectiveness of a Suez Canal in the pre-steam era has been discussed a lot of times.Theoretically,yes,the canal could be built if enough cash and manpower has been devoted to it,but does it worth it?According to the experts of this forum,no--this is because ships in the Mediterranean are predominantly galleys while ships that needs to sail the Indian Ocean are wind powered sailing ships,that means that you will need to change ships regardless of there being a canal or not.

Were galleys really that predominant in trade?
 
Were galleys really that predominant in trade?

No. They were not economical as merchant vessels. Mediterranean cargo ships have since ancient times used oars or sweeps to supplement sails, but a crew of oars men would cut deeply into profit.

http://www.google.com/search?q=Medi...X&ved=0ahUKEwi36IO94rzLAhWESSYKHQm_BK0QsAQIMw

First two rows are fairly typical of vessels reaching back to Early Arab era. & a couple the Phonecians would be familar with. Many of the ship types were similar to Indian Ocean cargo ships.
 
Were galleys really that predominant in trade?
Not sure myself,I am merely relaying the results of discussions on this topic.To be honest though,I am not 100% sure that wind sailing ships aren't that effective in the Mediterranean seeing how most of the naval battles during the Napoleonic Wars in the Mediterranean were between wind-sailing ships.
 
first, cargo ships since antiquity have been primarily sail powered... it was the warships that relied on oars. The ancient era ships were just more circumspect about sailing in any kind of bad weather.

There was a lot of trade in the Indian Ocean during this era... Sinbad the Sailor and his stories are all based on that very strong Arabian maritime tradition

As to ships, the Med and Red Sea as well as Indian Ocean ships all use the triangular Lateen sail which was designed to deal with seasonal monsoonal wings.

I suggest some more research... its a fascinating topic really

http://asianhistory.about.com/od/indiansubcontinent/ss/Indian-Ocean-Trade-Routes.htm

as to the answer to your question.. a 11th Century Suez Canal wouldn't add much in the way of trade advantage. The commercial pattern was already set. The Canal was more useful to the Northern Europeans than anyone else in any case. The Arabs and Italians didn't need it.
 
"Before European Hegemony" by Janet L. Abu-Lughod is good, too though covering a slightly later period (1250-1350)
 
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