Al Hejaz Railway Museum

The Hejaz Railway is a massive railway line, 1,464 km long, built between 1900 and 1908 by Sultan Abdulhamid II, extending from Damascus to Medina. The final point of the line, Medina Station, covers a vast area of 140,000 m². The railway suffered significant damage during World War I; tracks, bridges, and stations were destroyed by sabotage from forces under T.E. Lawrence. After the war, the line could never be fully restored to operational status. The building of Medina Station has largely preserved Ottoman architectural features. In the 1990s, the building was converted into a museum by Saudi authorities, showcasing the history of the railway on the lower floor and artifacts of Islamic civilization on the upper floor. Visitors can examine Ottoman locomotives, carriages, and documents from the period here. [Source: "Hejaz Railway", TDV Islamic Encyclopedia, https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/hicaz-demiryolu]