Exhibitions At The National Railway Museum

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SALA 2018

Syria that was: Images of the Hejaz Railway Workshop By Sandra Elms and Tony Kearney.

Images of the Hejaz Railway workshops on the outskirts of Damascus, just weeks before the first bullets were fired that set off Syria’s civil war. In early 2011, Sandra and Tony travelled to Syria with friends, at one point taking time out to visit the working Hejaz Railway workshops and museum at Cadem in the outskirts of Damascus. The Hejaz Railway was originally built to transport pilgrims who wanted to travel to Mecca from the city of Damascus in Syria to the city of Madina in Saudi Arabia. The railway shortened the trip from two months (by camel) to just 4 days. By 1912 it was transporting 30,000 pilgrims per year. The railway was completed in 1908 but was severely damaged during the First World War (1914-1918) by none other than Lawrence of Arabia and the Arab Revolt. Parts of the Hejaz Railway still exist and some of the sections are still functioning.

At the National Railway Museum from 1 August 2018 to 3 September 2018.