Search by keyword

Historical Facts

The Hejaz Railway Line

What Is?

The Hejaz Railway Line was a part of the Ottoman railway network connecting Istanbul to Mecca in the Arabian Peninsula.

The railway line, which was supposed to transport pilgrims from all over the Ottoman Empire to Mecca via Damascus, never reached its final destination but stopped at Medina 400km short of Mecca.

Hijaz Railway and WWI

Hijaz Railway and WWI

This photo shows Ottoman soldiers using the Hejaz Railway Line to head south from the city of Daraa towards the Arabian Peninsula during the First World War. The railway was used extensively during the war in an effort to quell the Arab revolt, which Britain had instigated against the Ottomans through their famous army officer T.E. Lawrence.