Hejaz Vilayet
Encyclopedia
The Vilayet of the Hejaz refers to the Hejaz
region of Arabia when it was under the Ottoman Empire
. Hejaz was governed by the Eyalet of Egypt for most of its existence, but it later became a separate province (vilayet). At the beginning of the 20th century it reportedly had an area of 96500 square miles (249,933.9 km²).
The population for the vilayet is given by the 1885 Ottoman census as 3,500,000, an unreasonably high number for this barren land of deserts which would have been twice the whole population of the far more fertile Ottoman Mesopotamia
.
Despite its lack of natural resources, the region had great political importance as the cradle of Islam and was a source of legitimacy for the Ottomans' rule. Bedouin tribes dominated the region, and Ottoman control over them was mostly indirect, appointing governors to Medina and Jeddah but allowing local rule elsewhere. Only those two towns had permanent garrisons.
Subsidies provided by the state and zakat
were the main source of income for the population of the two holy cities, but trade generated by the hajj
was also an important source of revenue.
until its defeat and take over by the Ottoman Empire in 1517. After its annexation, it was administered by the Sharif of Mecca
, which represented imperial authority in the region.
In the early 19th century Wahhabi Muslims, a puritanical sect from the Najd
region, began to raid the holy cities and oases of Hejaz. The Ottoman government found itself unable to confront the Wahabis, and gave the task of defeating them to the powerful Muhammad Ali Pasha of Egypt. The war that followed ended only in September 1818, with the defeat and dissolution of what was known as the First Saudi State
. From 1818 to 1845, the region would be administered by Egypt
, until Muhammad Ali was forced to restore Hejaz to the Sultan as a result of the Second Turko-Egyptian War
.
The Ottomans completed the Hejaz Railway, linking Damascus to Medina, in 1908, but the railway was severely damaged during World War I and later abandoned. In 1916, as a result of the McMahon–Hussein Correspondence, Sharif Hussein ibn Ali declared himself King of the Hejaz
.
Hejaz
al-Hejaz, also Hijaz is a region in the west of present-day Saudi Arabia. Defined primarily by its western border on the Red Sea, it extends from Haql on the Gulf of Aqaba to Jizan. Its main city is Jeddah, but it is probably better known for the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina...
region of Arabia when it was under the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
. Hejaz was governed by the Eyalet of Egypt for most of its existence, but it later became a separate province (vilayet). At the beginning of the 20th century it reportedly had an area of 96500 square miles (249,933.9 km²).
The population for the vilayet is given by the 1885 Ottoman census as 3,500,000, an unreasonably high number for this barren land of deserts which would have been twice the whole population of the far more fertile Ottoman Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a toponym for the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and southwestern Iran.Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization, Bronze Age Mesopotamia included Sumer and the...
.
Despite its lack of natural resources, the region had great political importance as the cradle of Islam and was a source of legitimacy for the Ottomans' rule. Bedouin tribes dominated the region, and Ottoman control over them was mostly indirect, appointing governors to Medina and Jeddah but allowing local rule elsewhere. Only those two towns had permanent garrisons.
Subsidies provided by the state and zakat
Zakat
Zakāt , one of the Five Pillars of Islam, is the giving of a fixed portion of one's wealth to charity, generally to the poor and needy.-History:Zakat, a practice initiated by Muhammed himself, has played an important role throughout Islamic history...
were the main source of income for the population of the two holy cities, but trade generated by the hajj
Hajj
The Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest pilgrimages in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so...
was also an important source of revenue.
History
The Hejaz region was formerly under the Mamluk SultanateMamluk Sultanate (Cairo)
The Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt was the final independent Egyptian state prior to the establishment of the Muhammad Ali Dynasty in 1805. It lasted from the overthrow of the Ayyubid Dynasty until the Ottoman conquest of Egypt in 1517. The sultanate's ruling caste was composed of Mamluks, Arabised...
until its defeat and take over by the Ottoman Empire in 1517. After its annexation, it was administered by the Sharif of Mecca
Sharif of Mecca
The Sharif of Mecca or Hejaz was the title of the former governors of Hejaz and a traditional steward of the holy cities of Mecca and Medina...
, which represented imperial authority in the region.
In the early 19th century Wahhabi Muslims, a puritanical sect from the Najd
Najd
Najd or Nejd , literally Highland, is the central region of the Arabian Peninsula.-Boundaries :The Arabic word nejd literally means "upland" and was once applied to a variety of regions within the Arabian Peninsula...
region, began to raid the holy cities and oases of Hejaz. The Ottoman government found itself unable to confront the Wahabis, and gave the task of defeating them to the powerful Muhammad Ali Pasha of Egypt. The war that followed ended only in September 1818, with the defeat and dissolution of what was known as the First Saudi State
First Saudi State
The First Saudi State was established in the year 1744 when imam Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab and Prince Muhammad ibn Saud formed an alliance to establish a religious & political sovereignty determined to cleanse the Arabian Peninsula of heretical practices and deviations from orthodox Islam...
. From 1818 to 1845, the region would be administered by Egypt
Egypt Eyalet
Egypt was conquered by the Ottoman Empire in 1517, following the Ottoman–Mamluk War and the loss of Syria to the Ottomans in 1516. Egypt was administrated as an eyalet of the Ottoman Empire from 1517 until 1867, with an interruption during the French occupation of 1798 to 1801.Egypt was always a...
, until Muhammad Ali was forced to restore Hejaz to the Sultan as a result of the Second Turko-Egyptian War
Second Turko-Egyptian War
The Second Egyptian–Ottoman War or Second Turco-Egyptian War lasted from 1839 until 1841 and was fought mainly in Syria, whence it is sometimes called the Syrian War....
.
The Ottomans completed the Hejaz Railway, linking Damascus to Medina, in 1908, but the railway was severely damaged during World War I and later abandoned. In 1916, as a result of the McMahon–Hussein Correspondence, Sharif Hussein ibn Ali declared himself King of the Hejaz
Kingdom of Hejaz
The Kingdom of Hejaz was a state in the Hejaz region, ruled by the Hashemite family. The kingdom was annexed by Nejd and merged into the Kingdom of Nejd and Hejaz in the mid 1920s, which would eventually be known as Saudi Arabia in 1932.-Kings of Hejaz:...
.
Administrative divisions
Sanjaks of the Vilayet:- Sanjak of Mekke-i-Mükerreme
- Sanjak of Medine-i-Münevvere
- Sanjak of Cidde