Railways · a Light

Pilgrims funded a railway to Madinah by subscription

On 1 September 1908 the first train from Damascus reached Madinah, about 1,300 kilometres to the south, cutting a camel route of some forty days to under four. The Hejaz Railway was built between 1900 and 1908 and paid for in large part by public donation from Muslims across the world, from India to North Africa, collected in mosques and by newspaper appeal. Much of the labour was done by Ottoman soldiers. It is often recounted that near Madinah the rails were laid on felt so that the noise would not disturb the Prophet's ﷺ resting place. The line ran for less than a decade before the First World War, and the stations and rolling stock still stand rusting in the Jordanian and Saudi desert.

Damascus to Madinah · opened 1 September 1908