Railways in the Ottoman Empire before World War I (1913-1914)

Prior to World War I, the Ottoman Empire took the issue of connecting all important cities and routes of Anatolia to one another through a railway network very seriously, due to commercial, economical, transportation, military, geopolitical, etc. reasons. On the other hand, European powers mostly struggled with one another in order to establish sovereignty over Mesopotamia oil fields and strategic routes in the Middle East. The Ottoman Government carried out a series of contacts with Germany, France, U.K. and Russia concerning the construction of railways. The aforementioned states, which have had great reciprocal struggle for influence and sovereignty over the Turkish Straits, the Mediterranean, Persian Gulf, Indian Seaway and Caucasus decided to make a joint investment on railways, by continuing and carrying on their benefits and advantages so as not to upset the balances.