In the late 19 century, Sultan Abdulhamid II ordered the construction of a railway from Damascus to Makkah (Mecca). This was known as the Hejaz Railway. Construction began in 1900 and made pilgrims' journeys easier, significantly reducing their travelling time. The stations at Hegra and Al Ula signalled the final point to which non-Muslims could travel before reaching Makkah. They opened in 1907, and in 1912, more than 19,000 pilgrims stopped at Madain Saleh (Hegra) which was one of the largest railway stations on the Hejaz railway and consisted of 16 buildings that date back to the Ottoman Empire. It is one of the most important stations along the Hejaz railway and was used as a rest area, accommodations and a restaurant for passengers. It consists of a workshop for the maintenance of trains and a small museum is now there within the main Madain Saleh historical site. We visited Hegra on October 15, 2021.
The Hejaz Railway is also known from TE Lawrence lore. For nearly two years during WWI, British demolition teams, working with their Arab rebel allies, methodically attacked the railway bridges and isolated depots as a way to break the Ottoman Empire's hold. One of the most prolific attackers was TE Lawrence and this was depicted in the film Lawrence of Arabia. By his count, Lawrence personally blew up 79 bridges along the railway, becoming so adept that he perfected a technique of leaving a bridge “scientifically shattered”—ruined but still standing. Today the trail of desolation still stretches south 600 miles south to Medina.
We continued to follow the railway path along the old Route 15 from Al Ula to Medina on October 16, 2021 and stopped at several stations/forts along the way. The fence around one of the old forts/stations was open and I snuck in for a quick look. These are still the original train and fort ruins.
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