The Hejaz or Hijaz is a historical region of the Arabian Peninsula that includes the majority of the western region of Saudi Arabia, covering the cities of Mecca, Medina, Jeddah, Tabuk, Yanbu, Taif and Al Bahah. It is thus known as the "Western Province",[Mackey, p. 101. "The Western Province, or the Hejaz..."] and it is bordered in the west by the Red Sea, in the north by Jordan and the Gulf of Aqaba, in the east by the Najd, and in the south by South Arabia.
As the location of the Holy city of Mecca
Etymology
The name of the region is derived from a verb
ḥajaza (حَجَز), from the Arabic root
ḥ-j-z (ح-ج-ز), meaning "to separate",
and it is so called as it separates the land of the
Najd in the east from the land of
Tihamah in the west.
History
According to Islamic tradition, this region is the birthplace of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, who was born in Mecca, which is held to be founded by his believed ancestors Abraham, Ishmael, and Hagar.
The area became part of his empire through the early Muslim conquests, and it formed part of successive caliphates, first the Rashidun Caliphate, followed by the Umayyad Caliphate, and finally the Abbasid Caliphate. The
Ottoman Empire held partial control over the area; after its dissolution, an independent Kingdom of Hejaz existed briefly in 1925 before being conquered by the neighbouring Sultanate of Nejd, creating the Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd.
[ (Pbk. ed.)] In September 1932, the Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd joined the Saudi dominions of
Al-Ahsa Oasis and
Qatif, creating the unified Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
[Al-Rasheed, M. A History of Saudi Arabia. Cambridge, England, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2002. ][A Brief overview of Hejaz - Hejaz history ]
Apart from Mecca and Medina, other historical sites include Fadak, Khaybar, , and Wadi al-Qura in Al-Ula.
Prehistoric and ancient times
One or possibly two
dolmen have been found in Hejaz.
The Hejaz includes both the Mahd adh-Dhahab ("Cradle of the Gold") () and a water source, now dried out, that used to flow north east to the Persian Gulf via the Wadi Al-Rummah and Wadi al-Batin system. Archaeological research led by of Boston University and the University of Qassim indicates that the river system was active in 2500–3000 BCE.
According to Al-Masudi the northern part of Hejaz was a dependency of ancient Israel,[Ibn Khaldun, "Kitāb al-ʿIbar wa-Dīwān al-Mubtadaʾ wa-l-Khabar", Dar Al-Fikr publication. Beirut. 1988. volume 2 page 342] and according to Butrus al-Bustani the Jews in Hejaz established a sovereign state.[al-Bustani, Butrus. "Daerat Al-Maaref". Dar Al-Marifa Publication. Beirut. volume 11 page 672] The German orientalist Ferdinand Wüstenfeld believed that the Jews established a state in northern Hejaz.[Wolfensohn, Israel. "Tarikh Al-Yahood Fi Belad Al-Arab". Al-Nafezah Publication. Cairo. 2006. page 68]
File:Lihyan Map.svg|The Kingdom or Dadān in the 5th century BC – 1st century BC|alt=Caruso
File:Nabatean Kingdom.svg|The Nabataean Kingdom 3rd cent. BC – 2nd cent. AD (below) Nabatea spanned from the Hejaz in the south to Bosra and Damascus in the north, with its capital at Petra, before its annexation by the Roman Empire in 106 CE.|alt=Pavarotti
The rise of the oasis cities
The history of the Hejaz has often centred around its major oasis cities, especially
Yathrib (Medina),
Fadak,
Khaybar,
, and
Al-Ula. These cities benefited from regular access to water, and became major trading cities as early as the
Bronze Age, especially with the domestication of the
dromedary camel that allowed for long-distance trade, and the rise of the incense trade that demanded the movement of
incense,
and other
luxury goods into the Eastern Mediterranean from
South Arabia, passing through the Hejaz along the way.
Lihyan/Dedan (5th century BCE — 1st century BCE)
The Kingdom of Lihyan ruled from the northwestern Hejaz, including its oasis cities like Tayma, down the western coast, up until a place somewhere in the region between
Mecca and
Medina. Their capital was at the city of Dedan, located in the
Al-Ula oasis, after which the
Dadanitic script is named.
Lihyan ultimately fell, but it is not known whether this was due to direct conquest by the Nabataean Kingdom. Either way, the Nabataeans went on to occupy the northwestern Hejazi territory, from the 1st century BCE, until their own annexation by the Roman Empire in the time of Trajan in 106 CE.
Thamud confederation (8th century BC — 5th century CE)
The
Thamud are among the most notable of the Hejazi tribal confederations. They were based in the northwestern Hejaz with their center at Hegra. They are attested in texts from the eighth century BCE until the fifth century CE, in
Mesopotamia, Classical, and Arabian sources. They are famously remembered in pre-Islamic poetry and the
Quran. The Quran mentions them 26 times, as a
polytheistic people destroyed by God for their rejection of the prophet
Salih.
Ghassanid confederation (3rd century CE — 4th century CE)
Christian J. Robin's study of pre-Islamic epigraphy has suggested that between the third and fourth centuries CE, the
Ghassanids were the main tribal confederation acting in the Hejaz, with a base that may have been stationed at
Medina. The period of Ghassanid domination of this region ended when the Banu Ghassan migrated northwards, into the territory of
Syria, which would remain their main base of operations until Islamic times.
Mudar confederation and the Jewish tribes of Arabia (5th century CE — 7th century CE)
After the Ghassanids migrated out of the Hejaz, the
Mudar confederation became the main power actors in Western Arabia. They may have been subservient to the confederation of Ma'add (based in Central Arabia) and the Kingdom of
Himyar (based in South Arabia). Their territory fell on the western coast of Arabia, from Himyar to the south, to the territory of the
Ghassanids to the north who, on account of the Byzantines, had projected their power into the northwestern Hejaz in the sixth century, up to the territory of Palaestina Salutaris (formerly
Arabia Petraea).
The most well-known tribe of Mudar, today, is the Quraysh, rulers of Mecca (after the Jurhum) and the care-takers of the Kaaba and its pilgrimage rites. Over the course of the sixth century, tradition describes Quraysh's aspirations for expanding their hegemony in Arabia, forming trade agreements with nearby superpowers while exerting their growing influence on nearby regions.
The 5th–7th centuries also saw the rise of the Jewish tribes of Arabia, whose locus of power was also positioned along the western coast. These tribes occupied a similar geographic space to Mudar, while remaining distinct ethno-religious entities. In Al-Ula, the transition to a Jewish settlement appears to have taken please in the fifth century, and it remained this way until the rise of Islamic Arabia.
Era of Muhammad
As the land of Mecca
and Medina,
the Hejaz was where Muhammad was born, and where he founded a Monotheistic
Ummah of followers, bore
Sabr with his foes or struggled against them, migrated from one place to another,
Sunnah his beliefs, lived and died. Given that he had both followers and enemies here, a number of battles or expeditions were carried out in this area, like those of
Al-Aḥzāb ("The Confederates"), Badr
and Ḥunayn. They involved both Makkan
Sahabah, such as Hamza ibn Abd al-Muttalib, Ubayda ibn al-Harith and Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas, and Madani companions.
[ Witness Pioneer "Pre-Badr Missions and Invasions"] The Hejaz fell under Muhammad's influence as he emerged victorious over his opponents, and was thus a part of his empire.
[Holt (1977), p. 57][Lapidus (2002), pp. 31–32]
File:Masjid e Nabawi Interior 2.jpg|Muhammad's Mosque in Medina, his place-of-residence after the Hegira (Migration) from Mecca. Muhammad is buried underneath the Green Dome.
File:Quba Mosque (2024).jpg|Quba Mosque in Quba village (now part of Medina) is the first mosque to be built in the lifetime of the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the 7th century.
History before Muhammad in Islamic tradition
Era of Abraham and Ishmael
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. The
Adnanites were a tribal confederation of the
Ishmaelites Arabs, who trace their lineage back to
Ishmael son of the
Islamic prophet and
patriarch Abraham and his wife
Hagar through
Adnan, who originate from the Hejaz.
Some people from the
Yemeni tribe of
Jurhum 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 the
Kaaba,
which would have social, religious, political and historical implications for the site and region.
For example, in Arab or Islamic belief, the tribe of Quraysh would descend from Isma'il ibn Ibrahim, be based in the vicinity of the Ka'bah,Karen Armstrong (2026). 081296618X, Random House Publishing. 081296618X
File:Pilgrims begin this year's Hajj rituals with a circumambulation of the Kaaba (2025) (2).jpg|Muslims pilgrims surrounding the Maqam Ibrahim (Station) of Ibrahim (Abraham) near the Kaaba in 2025
File:Last call for Hajis - Flickr - Al Jazeera English.jpg|The Hijr Ismail (the empty section near Kaaba) where it is believed that Isma'il (Ishmael) and Hajar (Hagar) dwelt
Era of Saleh
Saudi Arabia's and Hejaz's first World Heritage Site that was recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is that of Al-Hijr. The name
Al-Ḥijr ("The Land of Stones" or "The Rocky Place") occurs in the
Quran,
and the site is known for having structures carved into rocks, similar to
Petra.
Construction of the structures is credited to the people of
Thamud. The location is also called
Madāʾin Ṣāliḥ ("Cities of Saleh"),
as it is speculated to be the city in which the Islamic prophet Saleh 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 the
Nabataeans, whose capital was Petra. Later, it would lie in a route used by Muslim Pilgrims going to Mecca.
File:Qasr al Farid.JPG|The rock-carved Qaṣr Al-Farīd at Hegra or Madāʾin Ṣāliḥ ("Cities of Salih")
File:Madaan-saleh.jpg| Madāʾin Ṣāliḥ
Era of Shuaib
The
of the
Bible lived in Hejaz.
, who is revered as a prophet by both Muslims and
Druze,
was from this community,
who are also known as the
Aṣḥāb al-Aykah ("Companions of the Wood").
The historical area of Midian roughly corresponds to what is now
Tabuk Province of Tabuk.
Also, the northern part of the Hejaz was part of the
Roman province of
Arabia Petraea.
File:مدائن شعيب.jpg| Maghayir Shuaib in Midian, or what is now Tabuk Province
File:Midian.png|Map of Midian in the northern part of the Hejaz
Subsequent history
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 the First Islamic state and its successor, Rashidun Caliphate, in particular whilst its capital was
Medina from 622 to 656
Common Era. The region was then under the control of regional powers, such as
Egypt and the
Ottoman Empire, throughout much of its later history. After the Ottomans lost control of it, Hejaz became an independent state.
Caliphates and states that directly ruled Hejaz:
-
First Islamic state (622–632 CE)
-
Rashidun Caliphate (632–661 CE)
-
Umayyad Empire (661–683 CE)
-
Zubayrid Caliphate (683–692 CE)
-
Umayyad Empire (692–750 CE)
-
Abbasid Empire (750–967 CE)
From 967 to 1916, the local Sharifs governed the semi-sovereign Sharifate of Mecca, exercising considerable autonomy while acknowledging the suzerainty of various dynasties:
-
Abbasid Empire (967–969)
-
Fatimid Empire (969–1171)
-
Abbasid Empire (1171–1517)
-
Ottoman Empire Empire (Hejaz Vilayet) (1517–1803)
-
Emirate of Diriyah (1803–1813)
-
Ottoman Empire (Hejaz Vilayet) (1813–1916)
The Hejaz briefly existed as an independent kingdom before being incorporated into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1925
-
Kingdom of Hejaz (1916–1925)
-
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (1925–)
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Dates are approximate, consult particular articles for details.
Brief independence
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.
In 1924, Ali bin Hussein succeeded as the King of Hejaz. Then
Ibn Saud succeeded Hussein as the King of Hejaz and Nejd. Ibn Saud ruled the two as separate units, known as the Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd from 1926 to 1932.
In modern Saudi Arabia
On 23 December 1925, after a series of wars between the Hashimites and Al Saud, Sharif Hussein surrendered to the Saudis, bringing both the Kingdom of Hejaz and the Sharifate of Mecca to an end.
On 23 September 1932, the two kingdoms of the Hejaz and Nejd were renamed as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
This day is commemorated as the Saudi National Day.
Culture
Religion
The cultural setting of Hejaz is greatly influenced by
Islamic culture, especially as it contains its 2 holiest cities, Mecca and Medina. Moreover, the Quran is considered the constitution of Saudi Arabia, and the
Sharia 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.
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.
File:Mina 2.JPG|The camp of Mina on the outskirts of Mecca, where Muslim pilgrims gather for the Hajj (Greater Pilgrimage). Masjid Al-Khayf is visible to the right.
File:Pilgrims must spend the time within a defined area on the plain of Arafat. - Flickr - Al Jazeera English.jpg|Muslim pilgrims gathering at the plain of Mount Arafat
Cuisine
Hejazi cuisine has mostly Arabian dishes like the rest of Saudi Arabia, Some dishes are native to the Hejaz, like
Saleeg.
Other Dishes were imported from other cultures through Saudis of different origins, like Mantu (منتو), Yaghmush (يَغْمُش) and
Pilaf (رُز بُخاري) from Central Asia, Burek (بُريك) and
Tsoureki شُريك from Turkey and the Balkans, Mandi (مَنْدي) and
Murtabak (مُطَبَّق) from Yemen, Biryani برياني and Kabli (كابلي) rice dishes from
South Asia. Grilled meat dishes such as
shawarma and
kebab are well-known in Hejaz. The Hejazi dishes are known for their spices.
Geography
The region is located along the Red Sea Rift. It is also known for its
Wareqan Mountain, more
volcano sand. Depending on the previous definition, the Hejaz includes some of the mountains 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.
Lava fields in the Hejaz, known locally by their Arabic name of
ḥarrāt (حَرَّات, singular:
ḥarrah (حَرَّة)), form one of Earth's largest
alkali basalt regions, covering some , an area greater than the state of
Missouri.
File:Sarawat Mountains, Baha Region, Saudi Arabia (15).jpg|Sarawat Mountains in Al-Baha Province
File:حرة خيبر.jpg|Harrat Khaybar, a volcanic field in Medina Province
File:جبل أحد.jpg|Mount Uhud in the area of Medina
File:Taif Mountains (8355942584).jpg|Mountains near Taif, 2012
Cities
Al Bahah Region:
Medina:
-
Al-Madīnah Al-Munawwarah (Medina)
-
Badr
[بـتـصـرف عـن مـجـلـة الأمـانـة الـعـدد عـشـرون شـوال 1419 تـصـدر عـن أمـانـة الـمـديـنـة الـمـنـورة
]
إمـارة مـنـطـقـة الـمـديـنـة الـمـنـورة
Mecca Province:
Tabuk Region:
File:Albaha.JPG|Al Bahah, located above sea level
File:1قرية ذي عين.jpg|The village of Dhi 'Ain in Al-Bahah region
File:Old Jeddah (6).jpg|The old city of Jeddah on the coast of the Tihamah
File:Kaust-night-view.jpg|King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) campus in Jeddah at night
Tourism
As a component of Saudi Vision 2030, a tourist destination with an area of is under development
between the towns of
Umluj () and
Al Wajh (), on the coast of the Red Sea. The project will involve "the development of 22 of the 90+ islands"
that lie along the coast to create a "fully integrated luxury mixed-use destination",
and will be "governed by laws on par with international standards".
Demographics
The Hejaz is the most populated region in Saudi Arabia,
containing 35% of the population of Saudi Arabia.
Most people of Hejaz are
with a
Shia 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 the Umayyads to the
Ottoman Empire.
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.
Culture
Notable people
-
Salih of Thamud
-
Shuaib of Midian
Al-Abwa'
Mecca
Pre–6th century CE
-
Qusai ibn Kilab ibn Murrah ibn Ka'b ibn Lu'ayy ibn Ghalib ibn Fihr ibn Malik ibn An-Nadr ibn Kinanah
[Book of Genesis, Chapters 10, 11, 16, 17, 21 and 25][1 Chronicles, Chapter 1] Chief of the Tribe of Quraysh, and an ancestor of Muhammad
-
Qusai's son Abd-al-Dar
-
Abd Manaf ibn Qusai, paternal ancestor of Muhammad
-
Abdul-Uzza, son of Qusai, and an ancestor of Barrah bint Abdul-Uzza
-
Hashim, son of Abd Manaf, paternal great-grandfather of Muhammad, and the progenitor of Banu Hashim in the tribe of Quraysh
-
Abd al-Muttalib ibn Hashim, paternal grandfather of Muhammad
-
Hubbah bint Hulail ibn Hubshiyyah ibn Salul ibn Kaʿb ibn Amr al-Khuzaʿi, wife of Qusai, and an ancestor of Muhammad
-
Atikah bint Murrah ibn Hilal ibn Falij ibn Dhakwan, wife of Abd Manaf, and an ancestor of Muhammad
Since
-
Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Abdul-Muttalib ibn Hashim
-
Abu Bakr
-
Umar
-
Ali ibn Abi Talib,
-
Hamzah, son of Abdul-Muttalib, and a paternal uncle of Muhammad, and other Muhajirun
-
Abu Talib, son of Abdul-Muttalib,
-
Abd al-Muttalib ibn Hashim,
-
Khadija bint Khuwaylid
-
,
-
Umm Ammar Sumayyah bint Khayyat, wife of Yasir ibn Amir ibn Malik al-Ansi, believed to be the first martyr from the followers of Muhammad
-
Aminah
Medina
Pre–6th century CE
-
Salmah, daughter of Amr, wife of Hashim, and a great-grandmother of Muhammad
Since
-
Caliph Al-Hasan,
-
Caliph Umar II ibn Abdul-Aziz ibn Marwan ibn Al-Hakam ibn Abi al-'As ibn Umayyah ibn Abd Shams ibn Abd Manaf ibn Qusai, great-grandson of Umar ibn Al-Khattab
-
Al-Hasan of Basra
-
Muhammad al-Baqir ibn Ali Zaynul-Abidin, grandson of Hasan and Husayn the grandsons of Muhammad
-
Zayd ibn Ali Zaynul-Abidin ibn Husayn ibn Fatimah bint Muhammad, half-brother of Muhammad al-Baqir
-
Ansari women
-
Ja'far al-Sadiq ibn Muhammad al-Baqir
-
Malik the son of Anas ibn Malik ibn Abi Amir al-Asbahi (not Anas the companion of Muhammad)
-
Ali al-Rida ibn Musa al-Kadhim ibn Ja'far al-Sadiq
-
Fatima bint Musa ibn Ja'far al-Maʿsumah of Qom,
-
Abu Ali al-Hadi Muhammad al-Jawad ibn Ali al-Ridha
Ta'if
6th–7th centuries CE
-
Uthman ibn Affan
-
Urwah ibn Mas'ud,
-
Nafi ibn al-Harith, physician
Since
-
Sharif Ali ibn Ajlan ibn Rumaithah ibn Muhammad, son-in-law and successor of Sultan Ahmad of Brunei, father of Sultan Sulaiman, and a descendant of Muhammad
See also
Explanatory notes
Sources
Further reading
-
PBK, first edition: 1987.
External links
