Was a canal linking the lower Nile to the Red Sea via the Bitter Lakes possible using 16th-century technology?
I realize that the Ancient Egyptians managed it, but the Nile in the 16th century was different from the Nile in the 1st millennium BC, so I'm not sure if the ancient example is still applicable. Additionally, there were three attempts to build a Suez Canal in Ottoman Egypt during the 16th century, but they all went nowhere because of technical issues (sand, possibility of sea water entering the Nile, etc).
What I want to know if the challenges really were insurmountable for a canal in the 1570s or so, or if it was just a case of the Porte not trying hard enough and jumping too easily to the conclusion that a canal was impossible.
I realize that the Ancient Egyptians managed it, but the Nile in the 16th century was different from the Nile in the 1st millennium BC, so I'm not sure if the ancient example is still applicable. Additionally, there were three attempts to build a Suez Canal in Ottoman Egypt during the 16th century, but they all went nowhere because of technical issues (sand, possibility of sea water entering the Nile, etc).
What I want to know if the challenges really were insurmountable for a canal in the 1570s or so, or if it was just a case of the Porte not trying hard enough and jumping too easily to the conclusion that a canal was impossible.