The Suez Canal severs Africa from Asia and links the Mediterranean with the Red Sea. Watching super-tankers gliding through the desert as they ply the narrow channel is a bizarre spectacle. A hotly contested triumph of modern engineering, the canal opened in 1869 and remains one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. The best way to see the canal is by boat; the view from the Peace Bridge that crosses the canal near Isma’iliya, is a good second best.