Ottoman Hejaz Railway Donation Ticket 1902 Saudi Arabia Hajj Mecca

Ottoman Hejaz Railway Donation Ticket 1902 (1318 AH) Issued for the Construction Expenses of the Sacred Railway

Description:
This is a rare original donation ticket issued in 1318 AH (1902 AD) for the construction of the Hejaz Railway (Hicaz Demiryolu) one of the most ambitious and spiritually significant infrastructure projects of the late Ottoman Empire.

Commissioned by Sultan Abdulhamid II, the Hejaz Railway was intended to connect Istanbul to the holy cities of Medina and Mecca, facilitating safe and faster pilgrimage routes for Muslims from across the empire and beyond. The project carried immense symbolic value for the Muslim world, as it physically united far-flung Muslim communities and served as a bold expression of Islamic solidarity and Ottoman leadership.

To fund this massive undertaking, Sultan Abdulhamid II called upon the Muslim public to contribute voluntarily. These donation tickets (iane biletleri) were distributed as tokens of support and solidarity, often preserved as both charitable acts and patriotic gestures.

Key Features:

• Date: 1318 AH / 1902 AD

• Language: Ottoman Turkish

• Issued under Sultan Abdulhamid II

• Purpose: Funding the Hejaz Railway construction

• Historical significance: Religious, political, and cultural

• Condition: Very Good

This piece is a tangible link to the spiritual and political aspirations of the late Ottoman era a powerful reminder of how infrastructure, faith, and empire intertwined at a pivotal moment in Islamic history.