All aboard for the Baghdad
Railway
THE USA-led invasion of Iraq is a
geopolitical conflict of the 21st Century enacted in
the cradle of the ancient world. . . In past epochs,
the land of Iraq was known as Sumer, then Babylonia,
and - in the Greek - Mesopotamia - or "The Land Between
the Two Rivers," these being the Tigris and the Euphrates.
As capital of Iraq, Baghdad's position at a confluence
of the two rivers is displaced to the north of the site
that marks the city of Babylon, fabled for its hanging
gardens.
In the early 20th Century, this
same alignment between city and river system provided
the route for the renowned Baghdad Railway. From Europe
via Istanbul, the epic rail journey reached Baghdad
and beyond as far the port of Basra on the Shatt al
'Arab waterway with the Gulf.
The early vision was for a Berlin-Baghdad
Railway, which, as originally intended, has remained
a mirage in the sand. The Baghdad Railway has its
basis in the embers of the Ottoman empire and German
ambition. A German syndicate (George von Siemens,
et al) was awarded a 99-year concession.
In 1903, right-of-way was granted
to extend the route from Istanbul (then Constantinople)
into the eastern province of Anatolia. The Istanbul-Baghdad
rail link was not completed (through Syria and into
Iraq) until after the Great War of 1914-1918, which
the project helped foment.
In the early 21st Century,
such a railroad between Europe and Asia Minor has
the potential to become a vital international artery
for trade, regional development, and passenger transport.
In the wake of the current hostilities in the Gulf,
the Baghdad Railway has an important role to play
in the reconstruction and modernisation of Iraq.
© James A. Oliver 2003
Posted: 20 March 2003
