Discover the story of the Hejaz Railway, an audacious Ottoman-era plan to unite the Middle East, and how it could soon be resurrected.
The Hejaz Railway was the most ambitious engineering project the Ottoman Empire ever embarked on. Intended to link Constantinople—modern-day Istanbul—to the holy city of Mecca, in what’s now Saudi Arabia, this epic cross-border railway once united much of the Middle East.
Though the railway was never fully completed, due to the onset of the First World War and the subsequent dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, you could once travel by train from Damascus, all the way to Medina. Remnants of its tracks still cut through the Middle East, and with the war in Syria winding down, discussions have even emerged about the possibility of restoring connections from Amman to Damascus.
Determined to trace the railway’s legacy, I embarked on a journey across Jordan, following its course from Amman to the arid landscapes of Jordan’s parched south. Along the way, I encountered abandoned stations, met locals still tied to the railway’s history, and witnessed a striking reenactment of an Arab Revolt attack on the line. Here’s what happened when I followed the old Hejaz Railway through Jordan.
Watch my journey along the Hejaz Railway on YouTube!
What is the Hejaz Railway?
The Hejaz Railway was a narrow-gauge railway built by the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century, running from Damascus in present-day Syria to Medina in present-day Saudi Arabia. Originally intended to extend further to Mecca, it never reached that goal.
Commissioned by Sultan Abdul Hamid II, construction began in 1900 and was completed in 1908. The railway served both religious and military purposes. It was designed to ease the journey for Muslim pilgrims travelling to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, reducing the arduous trip from Damascus to Medina from over forty days to just five.
At the same time, it was a strategic tool for the Ottomans, allowing them to strengthen control over the Arabian Peninsula and deploy troops quickly to suppress revolts, particularly against local tribes and Wahhabi forces.
Funding for the railway came primarily through donations from across the Muslim world, as it was promoted as an Islamic project. German engineers assisted in its design and construction, which reflected the growing Ottoman-German alliance of the period.
The railway’s construction was particularly challenging due to the harsh desert conditions, a lack of water, and frequent attacks from Bedouin tribes who opposed the project. Despite these difficulties, it was completed in just eight years and became a symbol of Ottoman imperial reach. However, resentment towards it grew among local tribes, who saw it as a means of further Ottoman control.
During the First World War, the railway became a major strategic target. T.E. Lawrence, better known as ‘Lawrence of Arabia‘, and the forces of the Arab Revolt launched repeated sabotage missions against it, aiming to disrupt Ottoman supply lines. As a result, large sections of the railway were damaged beyond repair.
After the war, the railway fell into disuse, and while parts of it were incorporated into modern railway networks in Jordan, Syria, and Saudi Arabia, the full route was never restored. Today, remnants of the railway, including old stations and locomotives, still exist and are preserved as historical sites.
Read more: Amman: A Culinary Tour Through Political History
Amman’s Hejaz Railway Station
My journey began at the Hejaz Railway Station in Amman. Located on the outskirts of the capital, gaining entry required a small fee to the station’s guards. Once inside, it was as if time had stalled.
Rusting locomotives stood frozen in place, their exteriors bearing the marks of an era long past. Inside a modest museum, artefacts such as century-old tickets provided a glimpse into what was once a vital transport artery linking Medina to the broader Ottoman world.
As we wandered through the station, we met Abdullah, the station master, who eagerly shared insights into the railway’s historical significance:
“They started building this railway in 1900, and by 1908, the first train ran from Damascus to Medina. Before that, it would take three months to travel by camel, but with the train, the journey took just three days.”
Beyond easing the pilgrimage to Mecca, the railway held military significance, allowing the Ottomans to move troops and supplies with unprecedented speed. While Amman’s station no longer serves as an international transit point, limited local journeys still operate.
When asked about future prospects, Abdullah was cautiously optimistic:
“Very soon, we might be able to take the train from here to Damascus again.”
Plans are afoot, it transpires, to reconnect the line to Syria following the fall of Assad’s regime in December 2024. Turkey is planning to build a line from Damascus to Istanbul, reviving hopes that the Hejaz Railway could well be reconnected.
Following the Tracks from Al Qatrana to Ma’an
From Amman, we continued southward by car, tracing the railway’s path toward Al Qatrana, once a key station along the route. Today, the site is little more than an abandoned stretch of tracks on the side of the Desert Highway, but with infrastructure that, though weathered, remains largely intact.
A local security guard named Bilal, keen to emphasise the site’s heritage, pointed to the decaying structures and affirmed:
“This is all Turkish, from the old empire,” he told us, before inviting us to his home for tea.
Despite its derelict state, remnants such as water towers once used to refill steam locomotives, still stand as a reminder of the railway’s operational years.
Further south, in Ma’an, we encountered a stark contrast: a fully restored station, complete with a well-preserved steam locomotive. Unlike Al Qatrana, where the railway’s history seemed nearly forgotten, Ma’an’s station had been carefully restored, reflecting its deeper historical importance.
The town played a significant role in the Great Arab Revolt of 1916, and a memorial plaque near the station commemorates those who fought against the Ottoman forces. The railway had been a key target of Arab guerrilla warfare, a campaign supported by Lawrence of Arabia. The Hashemite-led forces, in their struggle against Ottoman rule, frequently sabotaged railway lines and raided supply trains, disrupting the empire’s hold on the region.
Walking through the refurbished station, it was evident that efforts were being made to preserve this critical chapter of Jordan’s history.
Wadi Rum: Reliving the Arab Revolt
Venturing deeper south into Wadi Rum, a vast desert famed for its striking landscapes and association with Lawrence of Arabia, we reached one of the most immersive experiences of the journey: a recreation of an Arab Revolt attack on an Ottoman train.
Climbing aboard a restored Ottoman-era locomotive, we found ourselves in the midst of a carefully choreographed battle reenactment. Actors in Ottoman uniforms patrolled the carriages, awaiting an ambush. Soon, gunfire cracked through the desert air. Riders on horseback emerged over the dunes, storming the train in a dramatic assault that mirrored the real-life raids of 1916.
The spectacle, staged by the Jordan Heritage Revival Company several times a week, was surreal, blurring the line between performance and history. It was easy to imagine what it must have been like for Arab fighters launching guerrilla raids on the railway, disrupting Ottoman supply lines from the vast desert expanse.
As the reenactment concluded with the victorious ‘capture’ of the train, passengers—both locals and visitors—applauded, momentarily transported back to a turbulent chapter of Middle Eastern history.
Read more: How Many Countries Are in the Middle East? Everything You Need to Know.
The Future of the Hejaz Railway
Though much of the Hejaz Railway’s original route still exists, its practical function has largely faded. While freight trains operate sporadically, no passenger service links the cities of the Middle East as the railway once did.
Reflecting on the journey, I can’t help but wonder what the future holds. The physical infrastructure remains, and if political conditions allow, the Hejaz Railway could potentially be revived, reconnecting Istanbul, Damascus, Amman, and even Medina. The route from Amman to Damascus was only severed in 2014 when the Syrian Civil War broke out, and could easily start again, if both sides desired it.
As Abdullah had remarked to us in Amman:
“The first plan was to connect Berlin to Istanbul, then Damascus, and finally Medina. Maybe one day, it will happen again.”
A revitalised railway could serve not only as a historical restoration but also as a practical means of reconnecting a fractured region. Railways have long been symbols of progress and unity; reviving the Hejaz line could represent a step towards greater regional cooperation.
For now, the railway stands as a relic of what once was—a monument to an unfinished dream. But in a region too often defined by division, the possibility of reconnecting these tracks may offer more than just transportation. It could serve as a reminder of a time when borders were fewer, connections were stronger, and a single railway line stretched towards the heart of the Middle East.
There you have it, the story of the Hejaz Railway! And please, I’d love it if you could subscribe to my new YouTube Channel. I’ll be releasing videos weekly (sometimes more!).
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