Document 2
Source: Ottoman government report concerning a proposal to build a railway from Damascus to Mecca,
1893
Unless an alternative way, other than the Suez Canal controlled by the British, is found to connect the holy
cities (of Mecca and Medinal to the rest of the empire, the Red Sea coast of Arabia might fall prey to the evils
of those who strive to overthrow the very foundations of the caliphate. At present. Muslims going on
pilgrimage must either use foreign ships, where they are subjected to humiliation, or travel by camel, a very
challenging journey through months of drought It has become necessary to construct a railway in this region,
both to solve these problems and to show the power of the caliph The railway has to be built solely by
Muslim involvement, by obtaining a huge amount of finance from the Islamic world and recruiting Muslim
engineers in its construction,
Our sultan must personally lead this highly significant undertaking Muslims across the world hold our sultan
in very high regard; therefore people of political and economic influence will not hesitate to allocate some of
their assets to this cause when they see our sultan personally leading the initiatives
The Ottoman sultan claimed the title of caliph of all Muslims.