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CAIRO, Nov. 18-- Marking the 150th anniversary of the Suez Canal's opening to international navigation, Egyptian antiquities ministry organized an exhibition to showcase a collection of artifacts. Held at the Cairo's Manial Palace and Museum, the exhibition displayed a variety of Mohamed Said Pasha, the Egyptian ruler who permitted the building the canal, and Khedive Ismail, the ruler who opened the canal for navigation. "This exhibition is meant to mark the 150th anniversary of the Suez Canal, which was opened on Nov. 17, 1869, in addition to providing people with information and historical background about the Suez Canal throughout history," Wala al-Din Badawi, director of Manial Palace and Museum, told Xinhua. "Among the most prominent pieces on display is a collection of coins that mark the anniversary of the opening of the canal and as well as a group of cups bearing the name and image of Khedive Ismail," the official said. He added that a rare oil painting of Khedive Ismail with his crown prince Mohammed Tawfiq, standing in front of a sculpture of the founder of Modern Egypt Muhammad Ali Pasha, was also put on display. "The exhibition also includes one of the rarest oil paintings and one of the most prominent works of art of a famous French painter depicting a scene of the opening of the Canal," Badawi said. The Suez Canal is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. It was opened for navigation in November 1869 after 10 years of construction. | 
