E94 - Episode 92: Could the revived Hejaz railway be a healing track for the region?

This week on Culture Bites, hosts Enas Refaei and Farah Andrews tell the story of the famous Hejaz railway, as Turkey, Syria and Jordan prepare to bring a section of it back to life.

Back in the 1900s, Sultan Abdulhamid II of the Ottoman Empire envisioned a rail line that stretched from Istanbul all the way to Makkah, making pilgrimage easier. While it was never completed entirely, the railway did connect Damascus to Madinah, cutting the typical journey from a 40-day camel caravan trek to a three-day train ride. But the once prominent line fell into despair...