Va-PoReg Country Report Hejaz 1900–1932

Because the Hejaz was home to two holy cities, it was governed by various empires throughout its history. During the Rashidun Caliphate, with Medina as its capital from 632 to 656 CE, the Hejaz was at the heart of the empire. In later times, the region came under the control of local powers such as Egypt in 1258 and the Ottoman Empire in 1517.¹ As a result of the Ottoman-Mamluk war between 1526 and 02/22/1517, the Hejaz as a province was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire.²

On 06/27/1916, during World War I, Sharif Husayn ibn Ali of Mecca declared the independence of the Kingdom of Hejaz from the Ottoman Empire, backed by British support. This declaration was not merely political but was carried out through an armed rebellion. Sharif Husayn commanded several thousand tribal fighters who launched attacks against Ottoman garrisons. The uprising began with the capture of Mecca after heavy fighting and extended to other cities such as Jeddah and Ta’if. British assistance was decisive, as the Royal Navy helped secure coastal towns and British officers, including T. E. Lawrence, provided weapons, funds, and logistical support. Through these military operations, Ottoman authority in the region was effectively dismantled. The establishment of the Hashemite Kingdom of Hejaz thus represents a secessionist rebellion, supported by an external power, which led to the creation of a new autocratic monarchy.

After the Kingdom of Hejaz fell to Abdulaziz’s forces on 12/19/1925, he declared himself king of Hejaz on 01/08/1926 and combined the territories of the Kingdom of Hejaz and the Sultanate of Nejd, which he elevated to the status of a kingdom on 01/29/1927.³ On 05/20/1927, the Treaty of Jeddah was signed, in which Great Britain recognized the independence of the Kingdoms of Hijaz and Najd, both ruled by the monarchy established through conquest by Abdulalaziz al Saud over the previous 25 years (Geddes/Wright/Frantz 2014b: 91). LIED, FH and V-Dem do not provide data for Hejaz.

On this day, Abdulaziz proclaimed the union of the main Saudi dominions of al-Hasa, Qatif, Nejd and the Hejaz as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.⁴

For the time after 09/23/1932 see Saudi Arabia.