The Hejaz: Often Forgotted but Imprinted on the Landscape
Tabuk - Al-Ula - Medina (Saudi Arabia)
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Leon McCarron
2024 Ibn Battuta Senior Fellow
Leon McCarron | Photo Credit: Emily Garthwaite
From Damascus to Medina
In Spring 2024, Leon McCarron embarked on an epic journey from Damascus to Medina, following the route of the famed Hejaz Railway!
Opened in 1908, the Hejaz was a 1,300 km (800 miles) narrow-gauge railway optimistically referred to as the “Iron Silk Road”. Envisioned primarily as a means of transport for pilgrims traveling to the city of Mecca, the railway also held political and economic importance to the Ottoman Empire. The glory of the Hejaz was short-lived - the outbreak of World War I resulted in significant damage to large sections of the railway and in 1920, the project was effectively abandoned.
More than a century later, Leon followed in the footsteps of generations past as he looked back at the legacy of the Hejaz, traveling from Turkey to Syria, south through Jordan, and finally into Saudi Arabia. He traced the centuries-old pilgrimage route while hearing the stories of the 21st-century communities who live along the ruins of the railway.
This project reflects on the millennia of walking in the region, hospitality to strangers, and the purpose of pilgrimage, while exploring what lies ahead.
Leon is shared his journey on social media as he travels from Damascus to Medina. Click the highlights below for an unforgettable experience!
A Million Miles from Anywhere
Saudi Arabia
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Hunting for Treasure Along the Hejaz
Southern Jordan
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"The Hejaz is Our History"
Amman - Jiza (Jordan)
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Following the Hejaz into Northern Jordan
Mafraq - Khirtbet Samra (Jordan)
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Damascus - Cultural, Cosmopolitan, and Slightly Chaotic
Damascus, Syria
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A Relic of a Bygone Era
Damascus, Syria
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150km South - Past Squat Olive and Pistachio Trees
Hama, Syria
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The Famous Souks of Aleppo: 13km of Covered Markets
Aleppo, Syria
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'I Listen to these Stories of the Past'
Aleppo, Syria
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Morning Light in Aleppo
Aleppo
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Following the Train Line Into Syria
Syria
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'This Was Always a Crossroads'
Adana - Osmaniye - Fevzipaşa - Nurdağı - Syrian Border (Turkey - Syria)
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Contemporary Invocations of Old Projects
Adana - Eastward towards Syria, Turkey
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From Pendik Station to Rumi's Shrine
Istanbul - Konya, Turkey
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Agatha Christie, Overland Journeys, and Prospects for Reconnection
The Orient Bar at the Pera Palace Hotel - Istanbul, Turkey
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Why was the Hejaz Railway Built?
Hagia Sofia - Topkapı Palace - Istanbul, Turkey
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Following the Route of the Hejaz Railway
From Istanbul to Damascus, and on to Amman and Medina
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