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A-Brief-History-of-Saudi-Arabia

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Unity and Independence<br />

the pillage conducted by the Ikhwan in the name <strong>of</strong> their ideological<br />

commitment.<br />

In 1913 <strong>Saudi</strong> forces comprised <strong>of</strong> both regular conscripts and<br />

Ikhwan drove the Ottomans from Hufuf, capital <strong>of</strong> the verdant Eastern<br />

Province, which had been under Ottoman control since 1871. This<br />

gave Ibn Saud control <strong>of</strong> both Najd and the Eastern Province. In the<br />

Ottoman-<strong>Saudi</strong> Treaty signed in the aftermath <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Saudi</strong> victory,<br />

Ibn Saud agreed to recognize Ottoman suzerainty in the area and<br />

stood to lose their livelihood, attacked the line. Its military use also drew<br />

opposition. When World War I erupted, its strategic importance made<br />

it a military target. T. E. Lawrence, who led British efforts to support the<br />

Arab Revolt, helped destroy trains and track as part <strong>of</strong> the anti-Ottoman<br />

campaign. By war’s end the rail line was unusable.<br />

Plans to rebuild the railway were proposed over succeeding years<br />

until as late as 1971. However, road and air transportation obviated its<br />

need. Broken remnants <strong>of</strong> track and trains still lie along its route. Today<br />

the remains <strong>of</strong> the Hijaz Railway are among the few visible reminders<br />

<strong>of</strong> the many outsiders whose plans for conquest have perished in the<br />

harsh environment <strong>of</strong> <strong>Arabia</strong>.<br />

The train stations <strong>of</strong> the Hijaz Railway were built so they could double as fortresses.<br />

Note the height <strong>of</strong> the first-floor windows above the ground. (Courtesy <strong>of</strong> the Fine<br />

Arts Library, Harvard College Library)<br />

173

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