100-year-old photos of Mecca and Medina on display in Subway

Taksim Metro Station in Istanbul is displaying 70 photographs of Mecca, Medina and the Kaaba that were taken over 100 years ago. The exhibition will continue until Aug. 10. The historical photographs aim to contribute to cultural heritage by bringing together different frames of social life of the time in places that are considered holy in Islam. The photos show infrastructure and construction, repair and maintenance of historic places as well as the haj and public services in Mecca and Medina in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Composed of selected photos from the albums of Sultan Abdülhamid II and the collection of Fahreddin Pasha, the exhibition features photographs of construction in Medina and the Hejaz Railway. Here is a description of some of the photographs featured in the exhibition:

The Ottoman Technical Committee in Medina al-Munawwara



Taken on May 28, 1917, the souvenir photo displays the Ottoman Technical Committee, which specialized in map drawing. The photo featured committee members Capt. Hafız İsmail Gürüz, Maj. Sadık Göktuna, Staff Capt. Ahmet Nuri Dikmen, Capt. İsmail Hakkı, Capt. Sabri, 1st Lit. Ahmed Fenni Işın, 1st Lit. E. Rıza Bayezid, 1st Lit. Selahaddin Düzgün, Capt. Ahmed Eyüb and Capt. Nail Ülkümen. They were assigned to draw the map of Medina al-Munawwara, and the map is currently displayed at Ankara Map Museum.

The Last Campaign in the Holy Lands and the Last Surre Regiment

Presented by the Research Center for Islamic History Art and Culture and Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality's cultural enterprise Kültür A.Ş., the exhibition features photographs displaying the last Hejaz Railway Campaign in the holy lands and the last Surre Regiment, which is a group that set off from Istanbul and took aid and presents to Mecca and Medina.

The wall that was destroyed on the orders of Fahreddin Pasha

The photo shows the walls of Medina al-Munawwara, including the Gate of Damascus, Kale-i Humayun Towers, the Mosque of Uthman ibn Affan and Hapishane Avenue. While Suleiman the Magnificent was building the city walls, he ordered the Gate of Damascus, the fortress and the towers to be built as well. The following Ottoman sultans renovated the walls, especially the Gate of Damascus and other main gates. However, the most extensive renovation took place during the reign of Sultan Mahmud II. The sultan assigned Governor of Egypt Muhammad Ali Pasha for the renovations of the gates, towers and walls of Medina al-Munawwara. During the reigns of sultans Abdülmecid and Abdülaziz, the walls and gates were repaired without making any alterations in their architectural structure. The gates, towers and walls that were renovated by Sultan Abdülhamid II were destroyed in the 1950s. The smoke seen in the photograph was caused by the dynamite that was used to blow up buildings in order to rebuild them on the orders of Fahreddin Pasha.

Last Farewell from Medina Station



The exhibition features photos of the last train that set off from Medina and arrived in Istanbul on May 14, 1917. Following the opening of the Hejaz Railway in 1908, passenger and commercial wagons began working between Haifa and Damascus every day and three days a week between Damascus and Medina. The first trip on the Hejaz Railway was launched on Aug. 27, 1908, with guests coming from Istanbul, and set off from Damascus for Medina al-Munawwara. Apart from a crowed group of statesmen, the train also carried many local and international journalists. The exclusive train featured a huge saloon-wagon, a dining wagon, a mosque wagon and three passenger wagons. The last trip on the Hejaz Railway brought sacred Islamic Relics to Istanbul following the fall of Medina.

Aerial Photograph of Medina al-Munawwara

Photographs display the walls of the city as well as the districts of Medina al-Munawwara. The photos feature Harem-i Nebevi, the Agavat neighborhood, the Zervan neighborhood, the graves of the aunts of Islamic prophet Muhammad, the graveyard of Baki, the graveyard of Ahl al-Bayt, Tîbe Public Bath, Derb al-Cenaiz Avenue, Babü'l-Habis, the radio building, Halidiye Police Station, the markets of Tabbaha and Temmare, the Gate of Egypt, Habbabe Market, the municipality building, the wall under the gates of Ayniye and Egypt Gate of Damascus, Menaha Square, the defense headquarters, barracks, The Fortress of the Gate of Damascus, Big Gate of Damascus, Menahatü'l-Hatab, Ebi Cide Walley, the MsALL Mosque of Uthman ibn Affan, the Mosque of Ghamama, the Mosque of Ali, the government office, the Tercüman (translator) Public Bath, which took its name from Translator Nasif Pasha, the Mosque of Abdullah ibn Abi Quhaafah and the region of Berabih.

The development work for the Mosque of Kuba

The photograph shows Fahreddin Pasha (in the middle) and his guest Ottoman Minister of Justice İbrahim Bey acquiring information on the construction work for the Mosque of Kuba and its southwest minaret. This mosque was renovated during the reigns of sultans Mahmud II and Abdülmecid. The photo also shows the houses of Sad ibn Hayseme and Kulsum Bint el-Hadm where Muhammad stayed during his visits to Medina. The farm of Bir al-Hatem can be seen on the right.

Waiting at Mount Arafat

This photograph was taken from the eastern side of Mount Arafat during the haj of 1879. Mosque of Abraham and Cebel-i Rahme can be seen on the left side foot of the mountain. The tents of the hajis surround Cebel-i Rahme. The photograph also shows the waterways that the Ottoman Empire built in the region. As it is known, Medina suffered from a water shortage, especially during haj times. When the waterways that were built by Zubaidah, the wife of Harun al-Rashid were destroyed, Suleiman the Magnificent built a second waterway in the name of his daughter Mihrimah Sultan along with few pools around Cebel-i Rahme.