Tabuk Tunnel Ottoman Hejaz Railway Station

The tunnel on the Tabuk section of the Hejaz Railway is one of the great engineering works of the reign of Sultan Abdulhamid II (1900-1908). The mountainous and rocky areas along the approximately 1,464 km route between Damascus and Medina posed many technical challenges. To overcome these challenges, tunnels, viaducts, and special bridges were constructed. The Tabuk region is located in the northwest of Saudi Arabia and has been a center of strategic importance throughout history. The Battle of Tabuk, which was personally commanded by the Prophet Muhammad in 630 AD, also took place in this region. The Hejaz Railway tunnel was constructed by Ottoman workers and engineers under the supervision of German engineers. During World War I, the tunnels and bridges along the railway route became targets of sabotage actions. Arab rebels, including T.E. Lawrence, attempted to destroy these structures. Although much of the line is non-functional today, some tunnels and bridges continue to stand. [Source: TDV Islamic Encyclopedia, "Hejaz Railway" article, islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/hicaz-demiryolu; William Ochsenwald, The Hejaz Railroad]