Hicaz_Demiryolu_Foto_Albumu

X H‹CAZ DEM‹RYOLU FOTO⁄RAF ALBÜMÜ C
construction works separated, and an office of
management was set up. At first the railtrack
carried its passengers and cargo starting from
September 1905. In the same year, the line
reached Mudavvara and on the 1 st of
September 1906 reached
Medâyin-i Sâlih. After this
station, the construction of
the remaining railtrack was
overseen by Muslim
engineers, technicians, and
labourers. The line reached
to el-Ula in 1907 and at last
to Madinah on 31 st August
1908. Until that date the
completed Hejaz Railway
was 1464 km long, and its
opening ceremony was held
on 1 st of September 1908,
the anniversary of the Sultan
Abdulhamid’s 33 years on
the throne. The Hejaz
Railway was used heavily until WWI. There
were daily train services from Damascus to
Amman, three times a week to Madinah. The
trains on monday, wednesday, and saturday
departed from Damascus at 7:30 am and on
the fourth day at 3:00 pm arrived in Madinah.
The return days were tuesday, thursday, and
sunday. In addition, there was a train service
(bed & dinner served) once a week. This
luxurious train arrived in Madinah within 48
hours. Irregular trains carried cargo and
water. Everyday from Haifa regular train
services were arranged and the train arrived
in Damascus within 12 hours. If necessary,
additional services were laid on and the time
of departures was set according to the times
of prayer.
The equipment and materials needed for the
construction of the Hejaz Railway such as
locomotives, wagons, rails, steel sleepers were
bought mainly from Germany, Belgium, and
America. Some of the passenger cars and steel
rails were manufactured in ‘Tersane-i Amire’
(The Dockyard). The equipment and materials
in the first year of the construction were
imported by sea; the cargo was unloaded in
Beirut harbour, and from there on brought to
Damascus by Beirut-Damascus-Muzeyrib line
paying toll to French. When the Haifa line
was completed, the Ottomans did not have to
pay the toll; instead all the
equipment and materials
unloaded in Haifa harbour
where transported to Der’a
by this line.
In the early days of
construction wooden
sleepers were used.
Anatolian and Macedonian
forests provided the wood,
but later on this practice
was abandoned and steel
sleepers were used for the
tracks.
Throughout the railtracks
there were large
maintenance units. These
are located in Kadem, Der’a, Maan, Tebuk,
Medâyin-i Sâlih, Madinah and Haifa. The
largest maintenance unit was part of the
Kadem Station which was built on the 43200
square-meters. Even today it is still
functioning and resembles a museum.
Electricity was used in the area for the first
time in this workhouse. This station which was
called “Kadem, the honoured” was the first
station of the Hejaz Railway.
In 1911 the railtrack from Kadem extended
for 3 km towards the centre of Damascus and
into the centre of the Hejaz Railway and had
a new modern station building. This building
is still in use today and is the Headquarters of
the Hejaz Railways in Syria.
Until Sultan Abdulhamid the Second’s
dethronement, the Hejaz Railway was called
“Hamidiyah Hejaz Railway”. This line with
its continuous construction works and with
new branches reached to 1766 km length in
1916. The common wish of all Muslims was
to connect Madinah-Mekkah and Mekkah-
Jeddah lines. However despite all effort it did
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