TABOUK MUSEUM - HEDJAZ STATION

If one judges the importance of a city by the size of its station, Tabouk was undoubtedly a center of interest for the Ottomans. From that time, it has retained its fortress and its station, built in the early twentieth century. The latter was part of the project initiated by Sultan Abdulhameed II in March 1900 to build a railway line that would link Damascus - and beyond Constantinople - to the holy cities of Medina and Mecca. The sheriff of Mecca opposed the arrival of the train in his city on the grounds that it would harm his caravan business, which thrived on pilgrims. The terminus of the Hijaz line was thus Medina. It was inaugurated on September^1, 1909, but only remained in operation for a short time, as the Arab Revolt put an end to it. The Arab uprising against the Ottoman Empire initiated by Lawrence of Arabia in the Hijaz in 1916 created strong tensions from Syria to Saudi Arabia, from Transjordan to Iraq. The Ottomans used the Hijaz railway to transport troops and the convoys were regularly attacked. The Hijaz Railway ceased to operate in 1919 with the end of the Revolt and the division of the Empire into separate protectorates and kingdoms. The stations remained. Saudi Arabia has 38 of them, including Tabouk, Mada'in Saleh, AlUla and Medina. These were important structures, as the stations also housed a small garrison to protect the tracks. The Tabouk station also included accommodation for travelers, a medical inspection and quarantine station, a repair and maintenance workshop.

The Tabouk station underwent a major renovation in 2019. The Ministry of Tourism has taken over the site and the 8 hectares to incorporate a museum tracing the rich history of the Tabouk region.

The museum of the railways and the station of Hedjaz. This museum occupies an old warehouse that houses a locomotive and an old freight car. One can also study old photos and documents related to the history of railways. Access to the museum is free.

Tabouk Museum. The huge building opened in 2019 blends Ottoman-era stone architecture with glass and steel structures. Its purpose is to stretch a thread between the past and the present of the Tabouk region, all the way to the future with the delirious Neom project. The presentation begins with the founding of Saudi Arabia in 1932 and goes back in time, from the study of Islam to the Nabateans to Prehistory.