THE OTTOMAN MEASURES TO PREVENT ATTACKS ON THE HEJAZ RAILWAY, 1908-1911; The Ottoman Archives as a Source

Abstract

This study discusses the “Hamidiyah Hijazi Railway”, established by the Ottoman Empire to support Islamic politics worldwide. The importance of this study lies in its discussion, which focuses on a fragment of the glorious period of Islamic history that provided extraordinary services for Hajj pilgrims at that time. The Hijaz railway line was one of the most significant achievements of the Ottoman Empire and proved their intensive efforts in handling this matter as a religious matter. This study relies primarily on the Ottoman documents from 1908-1911, deposited in the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey Directorate of State Archives in Istanbul. This article focuses on the steps taken by the Ottoman Empire in securing the Hijaz railway from attacks by Bedouin tribes and maintaining its religious reputation concerning the safe journey of Hajj pilgrims via the railway. The author argues that the measures the Ottoman Empire took were ineffective in preventing these attacks. The Ottoman Empire secured the railway line by entrusting it to the sheikhs of the local tribes and holding celebrations for the development of the line. With this celebration, the Ottoman Empire wanted to show the importance of developing the Hijaz railway to unite Muslims under their flag and strengthen the Ummah movement in the spirit of Islamic unity in the confrontation with Western countries.