Rail priorities in the middle east?

Assuming there was some industrialized powerful country in the middle east, what would its priorities be in building an extensive railway system? Here are my thoughts.

Ottomans: Anatolia will be likely the most densly paacked region with railways, and there will be of course a rail in Constantinople that goes into Europe. They may also be a rail into Iran from Baghdad. The levant will be densly packed as well, and expect there to be rails stretching down to Mecca and Medina. Maybe also rails that go through the caucasus and into Russia.

Arab state: The fertile crescent will likely look the same as with the Ottomans, but maybe there would be more connections in the deep south. Expect a lot on the Persian gulf coast, and maybe some that reach down to Yemen. Maybe a thing like the Channel Tunnel can be built between Yemen and Somalia.

Khedivate Egypt: Probably just going down the Nile, I don't think Egypt has any significant population centers outside of it. Also up the Levant if Egypt has that. Maybe rails connecting to Ethiopia and other parts of Africa.

Iran/Persia: Mostly in the western side of the country. Also rails going to India, Central asia, Arabia and Anatolia.

Any thoughts?
 
Assuming there was some industrialized powerful country in the middle east, what would its priorities be in building an extensive railway system? Here are my thoughts.

Ottomans: Anatolia will be likely the most densly paacked region with railways, and there will be of course a rail in Constantinople that goes into Europe. They may also be a rail into Iran from Baghdad. The levant will be densly packed as well, and expect there to be rails stretching down to Mecca and Medina. Maybe also rails that go through the caucasus and into Russia.

Arab state: The fertile crescent will likely look the same as with the Ottomans, but maybe there would be more connections in the deep south. Expect a lot on the Persian gulf coast, and maybe some that reach down to Yemen. Maybe a thing like the Channel Tunnel can be built between Yemen and Somalia.

Khedivate Egypt: Probably just going down the Nile, I don't think Egypt has any significant population centers outside of it. Also up the Levant if Egypt has that. Maybe rails connecting to Ethiopia and other parts of Africa.

Iran/Persia: Mostly in the western side of the country. Also rails going to India, Central asia, Arabia and Anatolia.

Any thoughts?

For the Ottomans/Arabs: a railroad with the cities Aleppo-Homs-Damascus-Jerusalem-Madina-Mecca and Mosul-Baghdad-Amarah-Basra-Qatif

The former for consolidating authority over the Levant (outside the Coast), the latter for oil transport and the same as the former. Of course, a connection between Aleppo-Raqqa-Qamshili/Deir Ezzor-Mosul/Baghdad, to connect the Mediterranean with the Middle Eastern Oil Fields.

If I had a map I would post it to illustrate.
 
For the Ottomans/Arabs: a railroad with the cities Aleppo-Homs-Damascus-Jerusalem-Madina-Mecca and Mosul-Baghdad-Amarah-Basra-Qatif

The former for consolidating authority over the Levant (outside the Coast), the latter for oil transport and the same as the former. Of course, a connection between Aleppo-Raqqa-Qamshili/Deir Ezzor-Mosul/Baghdad, to connect the Mediterranean with the Middle Eastern Oil Fields.

If I had a map I would post it to illustrate.
What about the deep south of Arabia like Yemen and Oman? I don't think it would be much, but at least to Sana and Muscat?
 
What about the deep south of Arabia like Yemen and Oman? I don't think it would be much, but at least to Sana and Muscat?

Yemen will be connected as well. Forgot about that. But it will be one railroad between Jerusalem and Sanaa. After Sana therw might be an extension to Aden and Mocha.

Oman is a bit tough. It needs to go through the Trucial States. Not sure if railroads are optional with such a geography. Oman is separated by the desert from the rest of the Arab world.
 
Yemen will be connected as well. Forgot about that. But it will be one railroad between Jerusalem and Sanaa. After Sana therw might be an extension to Aden and Mocha.

Oman is a bit tough. It needs to go through the Trucial States. Not sure if railroads are optional with such a geography. Oman is separated by the desert from the rest of the Arab world.
I mean, can't you just have a rail going along the Persian gulf coast? It doesn't have to go throught the desert.
 
Assuming there was some industrialized powerful country in the middle east, what would its priorities be in building an extensive railway system? Here are my thoughts.

Ottomans: Anatolia will be likely the most densly paacked region with railways, and there will be of course a rail in Constantinople that goes into Europe. They may also be a rail into Iran from Baghdad. The levant will be densly packed as well, and expect there to be rails stretching down to Mecca and Medina. Maybe also rails that go through the caucasus and into Russia.

Arab state: The fertile crescent will likely look the same as with the Ottomans, but maybe there would be more connections in the deep south. Expect a lot on the Persian gulf coast, and maybe some that reach down to Yemen. Maybe a thing like the Channel Tunnel can be built between Yemen and Somalia.

Khedivate Egypt: Probably just going down the Nile, I don't think Egypt has any significant population centers outside of it. Also up the Levant if Egypt has that. Maybe rails connecting to Ethiopia and other parts of Africa.

Iran/Persia: Mostly in the western side of the country. Also rails going to India, Central asia, Arabia and Anatolia.

Any thoughts?
I'd say the Ottomans would do all of that. Plus maybe a tunnel under the Strait of Hormuz. Likely more rail to the Arabian & Iranian ports, if oil is found sooner.
 

Vuu

Banned
Let's ignore politics and take a look at a strictly geographic standpoint. In Turkey and Iran, owning to the mountainous terrain, there aren't many routes to choose, so that's simple. But in Arabia that is different.

I suspect a major crossroads will form somewhere on the Euphrates, around Raqqa or Deir ez-Zor (the "apex" of the fertile crescent), and a secondary one in Homs. The line shall go from Basra or other major port on the Persian gulf, along the Euphrates to the main junction (where the line would split into an Anatolian branch and a Levantine one). The Levantine line splits at Homs into a line that steers onto the coast and goes across the isthmus of Suez into Egypt, and the other goes inland via the Jordan/Dead Sea valley into Hejaz. From the Persian gulf endpoint (Basra) it's also easy to extend it down the coast when oil is found. Later improvements will complement this line and probably eventually supplant it completely, but it's a very logical one
 
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