Great Inventions of the 19th Century Transportation Railways Railway transport was an outstanding monument to industrialisation. For the first time travelling was made fast and comfortable. For industry it connected sources of raw materials to industrial centres. The first successful project to build a railway locomotive was in the UK in 1811. In the following decades, railways spread across Europe and the Arab and Ottoman world. The development of steel production technology in the 19th century not only helped in manufacturing viable steel rails but also enabled engineers to construct much larger bridges. Steel s high tensile strength made both rails and bridges safer and more durable. Railways eased contacts between Europe and the Arab and Ottoman world and their construction influenced not only trade and travel, but also social life. Railways were either a symbol of industrialisation or, especially in the Arab and Ottoman world, an expression of political, administrative, military and fiscal reforms, as well as an attempt to safeguard independence from the European presence by introducing local industry and infrastructure. At the same time, the railways built by European firms were an innovation promoted autonomously and a means of strategic control as part of the colonial infrastructure. TR2 119 Anatolian Railways 19th century The Ottoman railways were first begun in 1856. The first railway in Anatolia was built between Izmir and Ayd#n, to connect the port of Izmir with the interior. TR2 140 Railway Bridge from Anatolia The #zmir Ayd#n line was laid by a British company in 1860. It was followed by the #zmir Kasaba line in 1865, Rumeli railway line in 1869 77, Anatolia Baghdad in 1872 and Mudanya Bursa in 1892. TR2 142 Rumelia Railway The Ottoman railways were mainly built during the period of Sultan Abd alhamid. Rumeli railway line was built in 1869 77. This picture is included in one of the albums of the Sultan, compiled to document in pictures all the buildings and facilities he built.
TR2 137 Bak#rköy Railway Station From the second half of the 19th century, during the reign of Sultan Abd alhamid, important railway works were promoted by the Sultan. Built by British or German companies, the aim was to connect important ports with the interior and facilitate the trade of raw materials to important ports. TR2 139 Haydarpa#a Train Station Haydarpa#a Station was the northern terminus of the Baghdad Railway and the Hijaz Railway in 1904. German architects were employed to build it. It is one of the buildings that reshaped the architectural tradition of Istanbul and, together with Sirkeci Station (the terminus for the Orient Express), it reaffirmed Istanbul s cosmopolitan tradition. MC 027 of the Old Railway Station in Skopje Museum of the City of Skopje Early 20th century Paper The first railway station in Macedonia was constructed in Skopje in 1873. The railway was commissioned by the Ottomans from the Compagnie des chemins de fer Orientaux. UK 125 The Railway Station at Jaffa The British Library 1893 The railway opened on September 1892, connecting Jaffa to Ludd, Ayn Sejed, Deir Aban, Bither and Jerusalem. An renowned ancient port for the export of cotton, cereals and oranges, Jaffa port was a natural outlet for Jerusalem and the destination for a growing number of pilgrims. Hence the importance of the railway, which reached the port.
LB 013 showing Beirut Damascus Railways Company Railway and Public Transportation Authority, Ministry of Transportation 1895 This building was the headquarters of the railway company in Lebanon where the profits were made and currencies exchanged. LB 111 showing the Beirut Aleppo railway Ministry of Transportation 1906 Aleppo, a strategically important commercial city linking the Jazirah, Mosul, Baghdad, the Euphrates, Egypt and the Mediterranean, was connected by railway to the distant but dynamic port of Beirut in 1906. This oriented the Aleppo region to the SyroLebanese area, but it was still contended by opposing economic interests and from 1912 the city was linked to the Berlin Baghdad railway. TR2 043 Orient Express Poster Ömer M. Koç Collection 1898 The Orient Express, which was owned by the Compagnie Internationale des WagonsLits, connected Paris and Istanbul between 1883 and 1977. In its first journey from Paris, French, German, Austrian and Ottoman diplomats and civil servants were on board. The Orient Express was a fashionable train catering for the leisure travels of the upper class. TR2 045 SimplonOrient Express Poster Ömer M. Koç Collection 1930 A poster by Roger Broders, a French illustrator and artist best known for his travel posters promoting tourism destinations in France. The Simplon Orient
Express offered an alternative, simpler route to the main Orient Express train. DE 005 Hijaz Railway Station, Damascus Museum of Islamic Art at the Pergamon Museum, State Museums 1955; 1996 Damascus Railway Station was the main station on the Hijaz Railway. The Hijaz Railway was built from 1900 onwards by Sultan Abd al Hamid with the support of Germany. JO 007 Qatranah Railway Station 1904 The Hijaz Railway eased pilgrimage to the holy places of Islam. It also had other purposes: control of the Arab tribes and lands in Arabia and providing alternative commercial routes not controlled by the British Empire and its allies. Qatranah was an ancient pilgrimage station along the route of the Islamic pilgrimage to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. JO 008 Ma'an Railway Station 1904 1906 Ma an was traditionally a station along the route of the Islamic pilgrimage to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina in Hijaz (today Saudi Arabia). As a station for pilgrimage, it had some special requirements (such as water supplies). The Hijaz Railway included the ancient pilgrimage caravan stations in its route. JO 087 Medal to commemorate the inauguration of Ma'an station Numismatic Museum (Ahli Bank) 1904 Nickel A medal issued to commemorate the inauguration of Ma an station on the Hijaz Railway line, with
the tughra (imperial monogram) of Sultan Abd alhamid. The sultan promoted this work in a strategic context both at the local level (control on the Arabian Peninsula) and at the international level (collaboration with Germany). SA 005 Dhat Hajj Station 1906 This station of the Hijaz Railway on the route of Islamic pilgrimage, next to the Jordanian border, is located in a town already famous in antiquity for being a station along the pilgrimage route of the caravans. With the building of the Hijaz Railway, new means of transport were added to the caravan routes. SA 004 Tadarees Bridge 1907 This stone bridge was built in 1907 between Tabuk and al Ula stations along the route of the Hijaz Railway. The project was managed by the Ottoman official Mukhtar Bey. SA 003 Mada'in Salih Railway Station 1907 Mada in Salih station was built in 1907 along the route of the Hijaz Railway, and it was one of the main stations in the Hijaz (today Saudi Arabia). The project was managed by the Ottoman official Mukhtar Bey. SA 002 Al'Ula Railway Station 1907 This station along the Hijaz Railway route was built in 1907. The project was managed by the Ottoman official Mukhtar Bey.
SA 001 AlMadina almunawwara Station 1908 AlMadina station represented an important milestone on the Hijaz Railway, being the main station for pilgrims located in the Muslim holy city of Medina. The first train arrived at this station in 1908. MO 032 of Tétouan Railway Station, platform General Library and Archives 1908 On the initiative of General d'amade who had led the pacification of the plain of Chaouïa (1907 08), Casablanca and Berrechid, the local supply centre for the French troops, were connected in 1908 by an industrial railway built by the French company Decauville. MO 031 of Tétouan Railway Station General Library and Archives 1918 In 1910, the Compañía Española de Minas del Rif built a railway between the Spanish territory of Melilla and the iron mines of the Uixan and Axara mountains. LB 064 Tripoli railway station 1911 Following the general trend of the Lebanese and Palestinian ports, competing to have railways connecting them to significant commercial cities in the interior, Tripoli was also connected by railway to Homs in order to increase the traffic of its port.
MO 033 of Casablanca Railway Station National Library of the Kingdom of Morocco 1920 After the industrial railways were built since 1908 to supply the French troops, the Compagnie des chemins de fer du Maroc was founded in 1920 to set up a national railway network. The first segment of the line Casablanca Rabat was inaugurated in May 1923. ET1 021 Photo of the Aswan Railways inauguration Bibliotheca Alexandrina 1926 The Aswan Railway is one of the most important railway lines built during the reign of King Fuad, when Egypt had gained independence. The story of the Egyptian railways began in 1851 with the first railway line in Africa and the second line worldwide. ET1 022 The train for VIP guests used during the inauguration of Luxor Aswan Railway Line Bibliotheca Alexandrina 1926 The inauguration of the Aswan line was a public event. The line was built along the Egyptian commercial route, including Aswan, between Nubia and Sudan. The improvement of commercial routes with the latest technical innovations began in the 19th century and continued in the 1920s.