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7 Ways Egypt Will Celebrate The New Suez Canal

Egypt is buzzing with the excitement of the new Suez Canal's inauguration, set to occur on the 6th of August. Caught up in the whole Suez Canal fever, we've rounded up seven ways our country is set to celebrate this momentous event...

Staff Writer

7 Ways Egypt Will Celebrate The New Suez Canal

There is a lot of excitement in the air as Egyptians are set to inaugurate the new Suez Canal (also known as the Suez Canal Axis) on the 6th of August. Looking to make this impressive achievement a day to remember, Egypt has announced a variety of ways they plan to celebrate the occasion. Swept up in the new Suez Canal fever we have decided to compile a list of the celebrations to come.

Inviting World Leaders to Celebrate

 

Looking to celebrate the accomplishment, Egypt’s government has invited a variety of world leaders to attend the event. From the Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Egypt has sent out a plethora of invitations going so far inviting Qatar and Turkey’s leaders to attend the event in effort to fix strained relationships over the toppling of Morsi and the crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood.

Setting a Guinness World Record for the Longest Flag

 

Egypt is vying for a new Guinness World Record for creating the longest flag. The massive undertaking was conceived by members from the Union of Societies for People with Disabilities and the Egypt 2020 institution, which hopes to get Egypt’s 27 governorates to collectively help create the record setting flag. “Each of Egypt’s 27 governorates is to participate by providing 450 metres of the flag which bears the signatures of 1000 people with disabilities,” Chairperson of the Union in Aswan Mervat el-Semman told Misr al-Balad news website on July 11th. Working with over 500 organisations, Egypt hopes to collect 54,000 signatures from across the country, and are aiming for the flag to stretch 12 kilometres.

Although there is no official record listed on the Guinness World Record website, the internet suggests that the flag to beat was created by River Plate football fans in 2012 and stretched around 7.8km. As it stands, Aswan governorate has finished their part of the flag and was signed by Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab during a visit a few weeks ago.

Releasing a New Postage Stamp

 

On Saturday the Postal Authority announced that they will celebrate the new Suez Canal by releasing a new stamp depicting the achievement next week. “The new stamp will be authorised and officially released by the Minister of Communication Khaled Nejm a few days before the inauguration of the new canal,” President of Postal Authority Essam al-Saghir was quoted by Youm7 last week. A year ago Egypt issued a stamp of the canal, only to be publicly embarrassed as critics noticed that the image used was that of the Panama Canal and not the Suez. Oops. To ensure the same mistake doesn’t occur Saghir emphasises that “serious precautions” have been taken, but as always only time will tell.

Creating a Website to Thank the Workers Who Built the Canal

 

When the building of a new Suez Canal was announced many were skeptical that it could be accomplished in a year. However, thanks to tireless efforts of those working on the project, the massive project was successfully completed giving Egyptians a reason to be proud. In an effort to give Egyptians the ability to personally thank the workers, the Suez Canal Authority have announced that they will be launching a website where Egyptian can send the workers thank you messages. In the statement released the Suez Canal Authority explains it ”has launched a new initiative called 'thank you message' encouraging Egyptians to express their thankfulness and gratitude through text or recorded messages communicating their support to the project and those working in it.”

Launching a Massive Ad Campaign Both on the Ground and in the Air

 

Look out a window in Cairo and chances are you will see a poster proudly announcing and hyping the inauguration of the new Suez Canal. Taking the message to the skies and international airports around the globe, Egypt Air has added logo stickers portraying the new Suez Canal on several planes to mark the impressive and joyous occasion beyond its borders.

The Launching of an Antiquities Fair at Multiple Museums

 

To celebrate the inauguration the Minister of Antiquities, Mamdouh Damati, announced that they will be hosting three archeological exhibitions and photography galleries in Cairo, Suez, and Ismailia. The Egyptian Museum in Cairo will be displaying photographs of ten archaeological sites that line both sides of the canal while illustrating Egypt’s ancient military achievements. Meanwhile, the Suez Museum will unveil an exhibit which documents the story of the creation of ‘Sisostris’ canal, which is most notable as being the first canal in history linking the Nile with the Red Sea during the reign of King Senusret III. The Ismailia museum, considered the first regional museum created in Egypt, will have on display a variety of artefacts discovered by the French during the drilling of the first Suez Canal dating back to 1859.

A Concert to Remember

 

Massive preparations are underway for the inauguration but surprisingly not much has been mentioned about who will be performing at the inauguration concert. Although the line-up has not been confirmed, some have begun speculating that artists like Amal Maher, Wama, and Ahmed Gamal Besmellah, will likely be performing as each artist has recorded songs celebrating the accomplishment.  As it stands nothing has been officially announced however with all the preparations that have gone to commemorate the occasion, one can imagine that whatever show will take place will be extravagantly patriotic and possibly entertaining.

 

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