The History of the Hijaz Railway

The project, initiated at the order of Abdülhamid II, was built largely by Turks, with German consultation and support. A public donation campaign was opened throughout the Islamic world to fund the construction, and the sultan started the campaign by donating 50,000 lira. Eight years later, in 1908, the railway reached Medina on the anniversary of the sultan's accession to the throne. With the railway a pilgrim could travel from Ýstanbul to Medina in 120 hours.

The Hejaz Railway was originally built to transport pilgrims from Damascus to Madinah. The idea was first conceived in 1864, during a time of great expansion in railway engineering, but it was not until 40 years later that the initial idea came to fruition. The only method of transport for the pilgrims to Madinah in those bygone days was camel caravan, a journey which would have been arduous for even the most intrepid traveller. The journey would have taken about two months, and a further two months on the return, travelling through winter's freezing temperatures and torrential rains, or the scorching heat of the summer months. Towns and settlements were sparse and hostile tribes, together with an inhospitable environment, no doubt compounded the difficulties. The concept of the railway presented a financial as well as an engineering challenge, requiring a budget of some £8 million pounds. Contributions from the Turkish sultan Abdul Hammed, the Khedive of Egypt, and the Shah of Iran helped to raise the money. Other contributions came from the Turkish Civil Service and armed forces, and from various fund-raising efforts (which included the sale of titles such as Pasha or Bey).

Construction, maintenance and guarding of the line all presented enormous difficulties, mainly undertaken by 5,000 Turkish soldiers. Apart from the unpredictable -- and often hostile -- local tribesmen, variations in the terrain itself made construction difficult. The ground was very soft and sandy in places and solidly rocky in others. Water scarcity was the norm, but occasional torrential rainstorms caused flash floods, washing away bridges and banks and causing the line to collapse.

The camel caravan owners were far from pleased by the construction of the railway line, as it posed a considerable threat to their livelihood. The railway journey was quicker and cheaper, and no-one in his right mind would contemplate spending £40 on an arduous, two-month camel journey when he could travel in comfort in only four days for just £3.50. Frequent attacks on the trains by the tribes and furious caravan operators, made the journey to Madinah a perilous undertaking for pilgrims, whether by camel or by rail. On 1 September 1908 the railway was officially opened, and was transporting 30,000 pilgrims a year by 1912. Business boomed, and by 1914 the annual load had soared to 300,000 passengers. Not only were pilgrims transported to Madinah, but the Turkish army began to use the railway as its chief mode of transport for troops and supplies. This was to be the railway's undoing, as it was severely damaged during the First World War (1914-1918). There was no direct intention to destroy the railway at this time; the main aim was simply to cripple it, in order to impede the advance of the Turkish army.

The road was repeatedly damaged in the midst of fighting during World War I, particularly under the leadership of British spy T. E. Lawrence. The commander protecting Mecca and Medina, Fahrettin Paþa, brought the Ottoman Empire's Sacred Relics to Ýstanbul through the Hijaz Railway following the breakup of the empire.

After the First World War, and until as recently as 1971, several attempts were made to revive the railway, but the scheme proved too difficult and too expensive. Road transport was now established and, by the seventies, aviation had made rapid progress. The railway was rapidly superseded and the huge old steam locomotives clanked sadly to their final halt. But the romance of the railway remains alive. The railway, which passes through the contemporary borders of Turkey, Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia is no longer used to carry pilgrims to Mecca. However, it is still in use for other purposes by Turkey, Syria and Jordan.

Sources:
http://nabataea.net/hejazhistory.html
http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar...8&bolum=110