Name of Monument:

Ma'an Railway Station

Location:

Ma'an , Jordan

Responsible Institution:

Hijaz Railway

 About Department of Antiquities, Ma'an

Date of Monument:

1904–1906

History:

In 1900-1908, Sultan Abdul Hamid with the help and support of Germany established a Railway between Damascus and Mecca (1700 km) to facilitate transporting the pilgrims. The track from Medina to Mecca (400 km) was never realized. The cost of the project was estimated at approximately 5 million Ottoman golden liras, which were provided from: private donations, revenues of the Ottoman State from the sale of stamps, and a special tax upon all citizens for the railway. Construction of the narrow-gauge track (105cm) began in 1900 with a wire telegraph line along its side connecting Damascus with Medina across Amman with a total track length of 1303 km. Official inaugurations of the tracks and stations were scheduled to coincide with the accession of the Sultan to the throne in the month of September every year. The construction of the project ended in 1908.

Description:

Ma'an station was one of the most important stations along the Hijaz railway. It consists of several buildings parallel to the railway that include a passengers' hall, maintenance workshops, water towers and the residence of the German engineer Meinsner who was in charge for the construction of the Hijaz railway. With its various components including the rails, steam engines, bridges and stations, the project stands as an industrial, architectural and engineering statement that had a huge influence on Jordan. The Amman-Ma'an Section was completed in September 1904. The Ma'an-Tabuk Section was completed in September 1906.

Citation of this web page:

Mohammad Najjar "Ma'an Railway Station" in "Sharing History", Museum With No Frontiers, 2026.
https://sharinghistory.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monuments;AWE;jo;8;en

Prepared by: Mohammad Najjar
Copyedited by: Daniel de la VegaDaniel de la Vega

Daniel de la Vega is a copy editor based in Portland, Oregon. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in linguistics from the University of California at Santa Cruz in 2014 and has since done editing and localization work on everything from college applications to magazines to video game dialogue.

MWNF Working Number: JO 008