SLOW JOURNEY
How canals went from essential city arteries to forgotten relics
Canal du Midi, in Béziers, southern France
The golden age of canals was driven by industrial needs. In the late-18th and early-19th centuries, waterways were essential for transporting heavy goods such as coal, textiles and raw materials. Canal networks were marvels of engineering, connecting key industrial hubs. But the history of canals predates their industrial peak by centuries. They have been vital for trade and transportation for millennia, with early examples like Mesopotamia’s irrigation channels (3000BCE), Egypt’s Canal of the Pharaohs (2000BCE) and China’s Grand Canal, completed during the Sui Dynasty (581–618CE).