HIJAZ

An arid, mountainous region in western Saudi Arabia, and site of Mecca and Medina.

The Hijaz region is the cradle of Islam and home to the faith's two Holy Cities. Hijaz reached the peak of its political importance after the rise of Islam, when Mecca was the seat of the first four caliphs (rulers) of the Muslim community. Since that time, the ebb and flow of the annual Muslim pilgrimage (hajj) has dictated the region's economic viability. Lack of water and arable land severely limited human settlement before the oil era. Dates were cultivated in several oases, such as al-Ula and Tayma, and other crops were grown where conditions permitted, most notably in the elevated regions around al-Taʾif. Nomadism was also important, but declined after the creation of the Saudi state. Fishing and trade permitted the growth of settlement on the Red Sea coast, with the port city of Jidda serving as way station for pilgrims to the Holy Cities as well as for commercial traffic. Hijaz regained a degree of political prominence after it became an Ottoman province in 1517, ruled by sharifs, descendents of the prophet Muhammad. After World War I the region attained brief independence, but was conquered by the forces of the Al Saʿud in 1926 and subsequently incorporated into Saudi Arabia.

Bibliography

Ochsenwald, William. Religion, Society, and the State in Arabia: The Hijaz under Ottoman Control, 1840–1908. Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 1984.

Rentz, G. "Al-Hidjaz." In Encyclopedia of Islam, New Edition, Vol. 3, edited by B. Lewis, V. L. Ménage, C. Pellat, and J. Schacht. Leiden, Netherlands: Brill, 1971.

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updated by anthony b. toth