2024-04-10

We followed an abandoned railroad for two days, and literally did not see a single soul 🚂.

The Hejaz railway, built in the time of the Ottoman empire, ran from Damascus to Medina. Before that, this trip took forty days by camel, but now the train could do it in three. After the first world war ended in 1918, the Arabs were not able to put the line back into service.

It is impressive how, after a century of decay, most of the stations, embankment and bridges are still in tact. But interestingly enough the actual rails have been removed.

With the scenery and colors of the landscape constantly changing, and nobody around, this made for an epic off-road adventure.