The Hejaz Railway Station

This building in central Damascus, beside Marjeh Square, is where the pilgrimage south stopped being a camel journey and became a train ride. The first section of the line opened in 1907, and by 1909 trains ran between Damascus and Medina. The passenger building you see was finished in 1913.

Getting there

Five minutes on foot from Marjeh Square, on Hejaz Square. The National Museum is also walkable from here, so the two fit into the same half day.

What to see

The Spanish architect Fernando de Aranda designed the building. The hall has a carved wooden ceiling, a wooden screen running round the upper gallery and coloured glass above the doors and windows, so the light inside shifts through the day. For years a Swiss-built locomotive stood on display in front of the facade.

Do trains still run

No. The line to Medina has not run since 1917 and the platforms are closed. You come here to look at the building, not to catch anything: the ticket window, the clock and the signs are all in place, but nothing moves. Through the twentieth century, summer trains left from here for the Barada valley and the hill towns of Zabadani and Serghaya. That line is not running either.