113 years ago, the Ottoman Empire, during the reign of Sultan Abdul Hamid II, witnessed the opening of the Hejaz Railway, which links Damascus and Medina, to remain a historical testimony to the legacy of its religious and human connotations.

The Hijaz railway, which links the Syrian capitals, Damascus and Jordan, Amman to Medina in Saudi Arabia, is an imprint on the Ottoman creativity, to shorten time and effort.

The line is considered one of the oldest railways in the region and the world. Its idea crystallized in 1900, and Sultan Abdul Hamid ordered in a Humayuniya (Sultan) will, which was published on May 2 of the same year, to begin construction work, through an official ceremony 4 months later, to end Construction work in 1908.

The cities of Damascus and Amman were connected by the Hijaz railway in 1903, and the railways reached Ma’an (southern Jordan) in 1904, and a railway was extended from Maan to the Red Sea via a branch line to the Gulf of Aqaba.

Until now, the line is still operating in Jordan, and its flights to Syria have been disrupted as a result of the current events there.

“The Hijaz calligraphy is our pride.”

Anadolu Agency reporter conducted a field tour inside the “Mahatta” area, the main point of the train’s departure point, and the location of its administration. He met with its Director General, Zahi Khalil, and listened to the level and mechanism of work, after 113 years of establishment.

Khalil said: “The line crosses the kingdom from north to south, with a length of 452 kilometers (..) The presence of the line in Jordan after 113 years on the railways is our pride.”

“The challenge is to continue to maintain, develop and improve it,” he added.

And he added, “The line is currently used for tourist trips from Al Mahatta area towards Giza (a distance of 45 km), and in the coming weeks we will start developing trips and operating them on a larger scale.”

He continued, “With regard to the current projects, there is a museum with the support of the Turkish government, where the entire construction has been completed and the finishing works are in the process of being completed.”

He added, “It will be one of the largest museums specialized in trains in the region, and we are following up with the Turkish government, so that the work will be completed within 6 to 8 months.”

He added, “When the situation in Syria stabilizes, flights will be re-routed towards it, to enhance trade exchange.”

In 2016, the Jordanian and Turkish governments, represented by the Hijazi Calligraphy Corporation and TIKA Agency, signed an agreement to build a three-thousand-square-meter museum worth 3 million euros, and to restore nine Ottoman buildings as a first stage.