Hejaz[a] is a region of theArabian Peninsula that includes the majority of the western region ofSaudi Arabia, covering the cities ofMecca,Medina,Jeddah,Tabuk,Yanbu,Taif andAl-Bahah. It is thus known as the "Western Province",[1] and it is bordered in the west by theRed Sea, in the north byJordan, in the east by theNajd, and in the south byYemen.[2] Its largest city is Jeddah, which is the second-largest city in Saudi Arabia, with Mecca and Medina, respectively, being the fourth- and fifth-largest cities in the country.[3]
As the location of theholy cities of Mecca[4] and Medina,[5][6][7] respectively the first and secondholiest sites in Islam, the Hejaz is significant in the Arabo-Islamic historical and political landscape. This region is the most populated in Saudi Arabia,[8] and Arabic is the predominant language, as in the rest of Saudi Arabia, withHejazi Arabic being the most widely spoken dialect here. Some Hejazis are of ethnically diverse origins,[3] although the vast majority are ofArab origin.[9]
The name of the region is derived from a verbḥajaza (حَجَز), from the Arabic rootḥ-j-z (ح-ج-ز), meaning "to separate",[15] and it is so called as it separates the land of theNajd in the east from the land ofTihāmah in the west.
According toAl-Masudi the northern part of Hejaz was a dependency of ancient Israel,[18] and according toButrus al-Bustani the Jews in Hejaz established a sovereign state.[19] The German orientalistFerdinand Wüstenfeld believed that the Jews established a state in northern Hejaz.[20]
According to Arab and Islamic sources, the civilization of Mecca started after Ibrāhīm (Abraham) brought his son Ismāʿīl (Ishmael) and wife Hājar (Hagar) here, for the latter two to stay. TheAdnanites were a tribal confederation of theIshmaelite Arabs, who trace their lineage back toIshmael son of theIslamic prophet andpatriarchAbraham and his wifeHagar throughAdnan, who originate from the Hejaz.[21] Some people from theYemeni tribe ofJurhum settled with them, and Isma'il reportedly married two women, one after divorcing another, at least one of them from this tribe, and helped his father to construct or re-construct theKa'bah,[22][23][24] which would have social, religious, political and historical implications for the site and region.[10][11]
The rock-carvedQaṣr Al-Farīd atAl-Ḥijr (Hegra) orMadāʾin Ṣāliḥ ("Cities ofSaleh")
Saudi Arabia's and Hejaz's firstWorld Heritage Site that was recognized by theUnited Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is that ofAl-Hijr. The nameAl-Ḥijr ("The Land of Stones" or "The Rocky Place") occurs in theQur'an,[45] and the site is known for having structures carved into rocks, similar toPetra.[46][47] Construction of the structures is credited to the people ofThamud. The location is also calledMadāʾin Ṣāliḥ ("Cities of Saleh"),[48][49][50][51][52][53] as it is speculated to be the city in which the Islamic prophetSaleh was sent to the people of Thamud. After the disappearance of Thamud from Mada'in Saleh, it came under the influence of other people, such as theNabataeans, whose capital was Petra. Later, it would lie in a route used byMuslim Pilgrims going to Mecca.[44][54][55][56]
Due to the presence of the two holy cities in the Hejaz, the region was ruled by numerous empires. The Hejaz was at the center of theRashidun Caliphate, in particular whilst its capital was Medina from 632 to 656ACE. The region was then under the control of regional powers, such asEgypt and theOttoman Empire, throughout much of its later history. After the Ottomans lost control of it, Hejaz became an independent state.
After the end of the Ottoman suzerainty and control in Arabia, in 1916,Hussein bin Ali became the leader of an independent State of Hejaz.[63] In 1924,Ali bin Hussein succeeded as the King of Hejaz. ThenIbn Saud succeeded Hussein as the King of Hejaz and Nejd. Ibn Saud ruled the two as separate units, known as theKingdom of Hejaz and Nejd from 1926 to 1932.
Kingdom of Hejaz (green) with the modern-day region of Hejaz
The cultural setting of Hejaz is greatly influenced bythat of Islam, especially as it contains its 2 holiest cities, Mecca and Medina. Moreover, the Quran is considered the constitution of Saudi Arabia, and theSharia is the main legal source. In Saudi Arabia, Islam is not just adhered politically by the government but also it has a great influence on the people's culture and everyday life.[66][67] The society is in general deeply religious, conservative, traditional, and family-oriented. Many attitudes and traditions are centuries-old, derived from Arab civilization and Islamic heritage.
Hejazi cuisine has mostly Arabian dishes like the rest of Saudi Arabia, Some dishes are native to the Hejaz, likeSaleeg.[68] Other Dishes were imported from other cultures through Saudis of different origins, likeMantu (منتو), Yaghmush (يَغْمُش) andRuz Bukhāri (رُز بُخاري) from Central Asia,Burēk (بُريك) andŠurēkشُريك and Kabab almīru (كباب الميرو) from Turkey and the Balkans,Mandi (مَنْدي) andMutabbag (مُطَبَّق) from Yemen,Biryāniبرياني and Kābli (كابلي) rice dishes fromSouth Asia. Grilled meat dishes such asshawarma andkebab are well-known in Hejaz. The Hejazi dishes are known for their spice.
The region is located along the Red Sea Rift. It is also known for itsdarker, morevolcanicsand. Depending on the previous definition, the Hejaz includes some of themountains of the Sarat range, which topographically separate the Najd from Tehamah.Bdellium plants are also abundant in the Hejaz. Saudi Arabia, and in particular the Hejaz, is home to more than 2000 dormant volcanoes.[69] Lava fields in the Hejaz, known locally by their Arabic name ofḥarrāt (حَرَّات, singular:ḥarrah (حَرَّة)), form one of Earth's largestalkali basalt regions, covering some 180,000 km2 (69,000 sq mi), an area greater than the state ofMissouri.[70]
The Hejaz is the most populated region in Saudi Arabia,[8] containing 35% of the population of Saudi Arabia.[81] Most people of Hejaz areSunnis with aShia minority in the cities of Medina, Mecca and Jeddah. Many consider themselves more cosmopolitan because Hejaz was for centuries a part of the great empires of Islam from theUmayyads to theOttomans.[82] People of Hejaz, who feel particularly connected to the holy places of Mecca and Medina, have probably the most strongly articulated identity of any regional grouping in Saudi Arabia.[83]
Ali ibn Abi Talib,[30][31] cousin and son-in-law of Muhammad, and Caliph
Hamzah, son of Abdul-Muttalib, and a paternal uncle of Muhammad, and otherMuhajirun[5] or Makkan followers of Muhammad, including Ubaydah and Sa'd[30][31][58]
^ab"Mecca: Islam's cosmopolitan heart". Archived fromthe original on December 14, 2018. RetrievedJuly 8, 2014.The Hijaz is the largest, most populated, and most culturally and religiously diverse region of Saudi Arabia, in large part because it was the traditional host area of all thepilgrims to Mecca, many of whom settled and intermarried there.
^abRothenberg, B. (2003),Egyptian Chariots, Midianites from Hijaz/ Midian (Northwest Arabia) and Amalekites from the Negev in the Timna Mines: Rock drawings in the Ancient Copper Mines of the Arabah – new aspects of the region's history II, Institute for Archaeo-Metallurgical Studies, p. 12
^Riedel, Bruce (2011)."Brezhnev in the Hejaz"(PDF).The National Interest.115. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on November 15, 2013. RetrievedApril 23, 2012.
^Jaffer, Masuma (2003).Lady Fatima Masuma (a) of Qom. Qum,Iran: Jami'at al-Zahra: Islamic Seminary for Women.Archived from the original on October 15, 2013. RetrievedJune 5, 2018.
Mackey, Sandra (2002).The Saudis: Inside the Desert Kingdom (Updated ed.). New York: W. W. Norton and Company.ISBN0-393-32417-6. PBK, first edition: 1987.
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