Istanbul and Port Said are the only two metropolitan areas in the world that span two continents. This road bridge linking Africa to Asia goes by many names, including the Mubarak Peace Bridge, the Egyptian-Japanese Friendship Bridge and the Al-Salam Peace Bridge. Built with assistance from the Japanese government, it was opened in October 2001. The cable span has a 70-meter (229-foot) clearance over the canal, which means that ships passing through the Suez Canal can have a maximum height of 68 meters (223 feet) above the waterline. The pylons that support this structure were designed to resemble pharaonic obelisks.
