Editing Red Sea (section)

=== Ancient era ===
[[File:C+B-Ship-Fig1-HatshepsuSailingBoat.PNG|thumb|upright=1.4|[[Ancient Egypt]]ian expedition to the [[Land of Punt]] on the Red Sea coast during the reign of Queen [[Hatshepsut]]]]

The earliest known exploration of the Red Sea was conducted by [[ancient Egypt]]ians, as they attempted to establish commercial routes to [[Land of Punt|Punt]]. One such expedition took place around 2500 BC, and another around 1500 BC (by [[Hatshepsut]]). Both involved long voyages down the Red Sea.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Fernandez-Armesto |first=Felipe |url=https://archive.org/details/pathfindersgloba00fern/page/24 |title=Pathfinders: A Global History of Exploration |publisher=W.W. Norton & Company |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-393-06259-5 |page=[https://archive.org/details/pathfindersgloba00fern/page/24 24]}}</ref>

The biblical [[Book of Exodus]] tells the account of the [[Israelites]]' [[Crossing the Red Sea|crossing of the sea]], which the Hebrew text calls ''[[Yam Suph]]'' ({{Langx|he|יַם סוּף}}). ''Yam Suph'' was traditionally identified as the Red Sea. Rabbi [[Saadia Gaon]] (882‒942), in his Judeo-Arabic translation of the [[Torah|Pentateuch]], identifies the crossing place of the Red Sea as ''Baḥar al-Qulzum'', meaning the [[Gulf of Suez]].<ref>''Tafsir'', Saadia Gaon, s.v. Exodus 15:22, ''et al''.</ref>

In the 6th century BC, [[Darius the Great]], who was a prominent ruler of the [[Achaemenid Empire]] in Persia, undertook significant efforts to improve and extend navigation in the Red Sea. He sent reconnaissance missions to explore the Red Sea area and to identify its various navigational hazards, such as rocks and currents. This effort was significant, as it contributed to safer and more efficient navigation routes.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Darius' Red Sea Canal Stele {{!}} cabinet |url=https://www.cabinet.ox.ac.uk/darius-red-sea-canal-stele |access-date=8 June 2023 |website=www.cabinet.ox.ac.uk |archive-date=16 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230716120327/https://www.cabinet.ox.ac.uk/darius-red-sea-canal-stele |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Periplous of the Erythraean Sea.svg|left|thumb|upright=1.5|Settlements and commercial centres in the vicinity of the Red Sea involved in the [[spice trade]], as described in the ''[[Periplus of the Erythraean Sea]]'']]

In addition to the maritime explorations, during the reign of Darius the Great, a canal was constructed linking the Nile River to the northern end of the Red Sea at Suez. This canal is sometimes referred to as the ancient Suez Canal. It played a pivotal role in improving trade and communication between the Nile Valley and the Red Sea, and beyond to the Indian Ocean. This canal was a predecessor to the modern [[Suez Canal]], which was constructed in the 19th century and continues to be one of the world's most important waterways.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Colburn |first=Henry |date=2021 |title=King Darius' Red Sea Canal |url=https://hcommons.org/deposits/item/hc:44609/ |journal=FEZANA Journal |language=en-US |volume=35 |issue=4 |pages=27–30 |access-date=8 June 2023 |archive-date=16 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230716120327/https://hcommons.org/deposits/item/hc:44609/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The construction of the canal during Darius's reign is evidenced by ancient records, including inscriptions. Darius commemorated the completion of the canal by creating stelae (stone monuments) with inscriptions in several languages, describing the construction and its benefits. The canal not only facilitated trade but also solidified Darius's control over Egypt and enhanced the Achaemenid Empire's economic and political power in the region.

In the late 4th century BC, [[Alexander the Great]] sent Greek naval expeditions down the Red Sea to the [[Indian Ocean]]. Greek navigators continued to explore and compile data on the Red Sea. [[Agatharchides]] collected information about the sea in the 2nd century BC. The ''[[Periplus of the Erythraean Sea]]'' ("[[Periplus of the Red Sea]]"), a [[Greek language|Greek]] [[periplus]] written by an unknown author around the 1st century, contains a detailed description of the Red Sea's ports and sea routes.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Fernandez-Armesto |first=Felipe |url=https://archive.org/details/pathfindersgloba00fern/page/32 |title=Pathfinders: A Global History of Exploration |publisher=W.W. Norton & Company |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-393-06259-5 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/pathfindersgloba00fern/page/32 32–33]}}</ref> The Periplus also describes how [[Hippalus]] first discovered the direct route from the Red Sea to [[India]].

The Red Sea was favored for [[Roman trade with India]] starting with the reign of [[Augustus]], when the [[Roman Empire]] gained control over the Mediterranean, [[Egypt]], and the northern Red Sea. The route had been used by previous states but grew in the volume of traffic under the Romans. From Indian ports goods from [[China]] were introduced to the [[Roman Empire|Roman]] world. Contact between Rome and China depended on the Red Sea, but the route was broken by the [[Aksumite Empire]] around the 3rd century AD.<ref>{{Cite book |last=East |first=W. Gordon |url=https://archive.org/details/geographybehindh0000east_z8c9/page/174 |title=The Geography behind History |publisher=W.W. Norton & Company |year=1965 |isbn=978-0-393-00419-9 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/geographybehindh0000east_z8c9/page/174 174–175]}}</ref>
From antiquity [[slavery in Saudi Arabia|until the 20th-century]], the Red Sea was also a trade route of the [[Red Sea slave trade]] from Africa to the Middle East.<ref>The Palgrave Handbook of Global Slavery Throughout History. (2023). Tyskland: Springer International Publishing.</ref>