More recently, Bellwald took on a restoration project that is less ancient, but exceeds the Petra project in magnitude. The archeologist from Bern aims to restore the Hejaz Railway between the Syrian capital Damascus and Medina in Saudi Arabia. This 1,300-kilometer-long track was commissioned in 1900 by Sultan Abdel Hamid of the Ottoman Empire, to give pilgrims swifter access to Mecca.

Construction of the railway, financed mainly with donations from Muslims worldwide, was completed in 1908. The proposed extension of the line from Medina to Mecca, however, was interrupted by the outbreak of World War I. During the war, the line was repeatedly attacked, particularly by the guerilla forces led by British Lieutenant-Colonel T.E. Lawrence during the Arab Revolt. After the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the Hejaz Railway never reopened. The line deteriorated further when treasure-hunters undermined the tracks in search of mythical Turkish treasure.

Bellwald, who now leads a European consortium restoring the railway, says: “It was once a project of the entire Islamic world and maybe we may bring people together again.”