Cairo to Doha

The Gulf of Suez marks the border between the African and Asian continents, a thin finger-like stretch of the Red Sea heading northwards towards the Mediterranean.

The mountainous coast of the Gulf of Sinai from the air, with sinuous channels carved out by dry river beds between the hills.

A large container ship exits the Suez Canal to continue its journey through the Gulf of Suez and into the Red Sea. The canal saves an average large commercial ship between two and three weeks.

1841 - A traveller's sketch of a village on the edge of the Gulf of Suez, straddling both African and Asian traditions and customs.

Container ships and ferries fill the harbour at the Port of Suez at the northern end of the Gulf of Suez. International maritime trade is a crucial part of the economy of the area.

United Nations salvage cranes are towed through the Suez Canal towards the Red Sea in 1957, used to re-float vessels which obstruct shipping either when wrecked on reefs or after an attack.

1839 - A lithograph of a camel caravan making its way along the coast of the Gulf of Aqaba, the sister gulf of Suez to the east of the Sinai Peninsula, a hub for trade between Asia and Africa.

A satellite image of the Gulf of Suez, seen to the left of the image, with the Sinai Peninsula stretching down into the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba to the right.

A geological diagram of the Gulf of Suez Rift. Each black line represents a different fault: a crack in the Earth's surface created by the stress of the African and Arabian plates pulling apart.

An aerial view of the shifting sands of Hurghada, a popular tourist destination for its beaches and diving at the southern end of the Gulf of Suez, where it joins the main body of the Red Sea.

A satellite image of the Gulf of Suez used to examine the rock formations either side of the Gulf. Notice the linear rift structures, created by the stretching and faulting, running parallel to the shore.

1856 - A German map of the Bay of Suez. The port town of Suez can be seen towards the top of the map, with the depth of the sea floor plotted with contours.

The craggy sandstone mountains which line either side of the Gulf of Suez and the Suez Rift. Lines of faulting parallel to the coast due to the stress of the rifting can be seen along the coastline.

An aerial view of the coast of the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula. Among the region's mountains sits Mount Sinai, famous for its range of religious links and a tourist attraction in its own right.

An orthodox Greek chapel atop the summit of Mount Sinai. Buildings paying homage to the mountain and its role in Christianity, Islam and Judaism have been built here since the 4th century.

Sunrise viewed from the summit of Mount Sinai, a holy site in Islamic, Jewish and Christian traditions as the place where God gave the prophet Moses the Ten Commandments.

A dust storm swirls over the Red Sea off the southern coast of the Sinai Peninsula, as seen in this satellite image. The Peninsula is 60,000 square kilometres, roughly twice the size of Belgium.

The Red Sea teems with life across the many shallow coral reefs and wrecks near the coastline of the peninsula. Thousands of divers visit the area every year to explore the beauty of the reefs.

Sunrise over the mountains of the Gebel Musa on the Sinai Peninsula. Traditionally, travellers and pilgrims rise before dawn to climb mountains such as Mount Sinai to watch the sun rise.

Dry river beds thread their way across the desert of the Sinai Peninsula. These rivers may only be replenished by occasional seasonal rainfall in this desert environment.

A coastline of shallow sands and reefs runs along the edge of the Sinai Peninsula, as seen here off the Gulf of Aqaba, drawing tens of thousands of divers every year.

Travellers trek up Mount Sinai on foot and on camel to reach the summit and to visit St. Catherine's Monastery, thought to be one of the oldest monasteries in the world.

A blue-spotted ray hunting at night near Sharm-el-Sheikh. The popularity of the dive sites across the Red Sea is world renowned and the area plays host to an incredible amount of marine wildlife.

A diver's silhouette above a clownfish, one of thousands of species of fish and marine animals that can be found in the region's popular dive sites such as Sharm-el-Sheikh and Dahab.

A map of the Sinai Peninsula, showing its position at the north of the Red Sea and how it produces the divide between the Gulf of Suez in the west and Gulf of Aqaba in the east.

Well preserved motorbikes are a huge attraction on the wreck of the SS Thistlegorm, a British Merchant Navy ship torpedoed and sunk in 1941 near Ras Muhammad in the Red Sea.

1880 - French sailing ships moored in Port Said preparing for their journey through the Suez Canal. The canal was constructed by a French company and revolutionised travel to and from Europe.

A large container ship enters the Port of Suez on the last leg of its journey through the 190km long Suez Canal. The canal revolutionised global sea travel when it was opened in 1898.

The Port of Suez, where the Suez Canal reaches the Red Sea after its 190 km journey from the Mediterranean. The channel of the canal can be seen sweeping from the left to the right of this image.

1880s - Hippolyte Arnoux's photograph of Port Said, the Egyptian port on the Mediterranean Sea at the entrance to the Suez Canal, shortly after the canal was opened.

1880 - A maritime map of the Suez Canal from Port Said on the Mediterranean to Port Suez in the Red Sea. The map is edged with images of local places and dignitaries.

The huge container ship MV Maersk Taikung, 332 metres long, appears to be floating on the desert as it transits through the narrow Suez Canal, heading north towards Europe.

1942 - Imposing sculptures of lions watch over the Suez Canal at Port Taufiq, near Suez. The canal saves on average two to three weeks of sailing time for a "round Africa" journey for all ships passing through.

A car and passenger ferry provides transport across the Suez Canal. These services are important as there is only one road and one railway bridge along the entire 190 kilometre length of the channel.

1880s - Hippolyte Arnoux, a famous French photographer, documented the construction of and first journeys along the Suez Canal in his book "Album du Canal de Suez".

An orderly line of marine traffic transiting out of the Suez Canal and into the Red Sea. The canal is single lane, and so passage through the canal is carefully timed and regulated.

Juxtaposing modern and traditional views: the American ship USS Leyte Gulf leaves the Suez Canal and heads out in to the Red Sea, through the Port of Suez and its mosque.

c.1920 - "A caravan has just brought bales of merchandise which are piled up to be transferred to the cargo vessel mooring in the background on the Suez Canal. A native sentry is on guard."

A satellite image showing the length of the Suez Canal, as it runs from Port Said on the Mediterranean Sea to Suez on the Red Sea. The Great Bitter Lake can be seen in the centre.

1880 - Traditional twin-sailed dhows (sailing ships) in harbour near the entrance to the Suez Canal.

A convoy of container ships passing through the Suez Canal is joined by a Royal Navy submarine. The canal plays a crucial role in the passage of commercial, civilian and military ships.

1934 - An aerial photograph of the Suez Canal. Notice how undeveloped the surrounding area is - the canal simply seems to cut through the desert without any further interruption.

The Suez Canal Bridge at El Qantara. The bridge has 70 metre clearance and is nearly four kilometres long, being one of only two bridges across the canal.