A Railway ‘Route’ as a Linear Heritage Attraction: The Hijaz Railway in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

The Hijaz Railway was constructed in the early part of the 20th century to link the Levant with Islam's Holy cities of Madinah and Makkah. The railway was never completed beyond Madinah and its operational life was cut short by World War I, never to be revived again. The significance of the railway lies not only in the technical, military and religious importance of the track, but also in the ‘route’ which is closely linked to a number of historic pilgrim and trade routes, including that used by the Frankincense traders. Although a few sections of the railway have survived in Syria and Jordan, in Saudi Arabia the track bed today remains only a palimpsest in the desert landscape. Most of the railway buildings lie abandoned, with the exception of several centres where the buildings have been restored. This paper considers the potential role of the Hijaz Railway as a ‘cultural route’ in stimulating heritage tourism in Saudi Arabia. In doing so the paper considers how the physical remains of the railway can be used as an anchor for the preservation and interpretation of the Islamic and pre-Islamic cultural heritage of the route. Considerations include focusing on clusters as primary and secondary nodes for tourism activity that will support an incremental development approach while preserving the integrity of the railway and its route within a landscape setting.