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Hejaz

The Hejaz (/hˈæz, hɪˈ-/, also US: /hɛˈ-/; Arabic: ٱلْحِجَاز, romanizedal-Ḥijāz, lit.'the Barrier', Hejazi Arabic pronunciation: [alħɪˈdʒaːz]) is a region that includes the majority of the west coast of Saudi Arabia, covering the cities of Mecca, Medina, Jeddah, Tabuk, Yanbu, Taif and Baljurashi. It is thus known as the "Western Province",[1] and it is bordered in the west by the Red Sea, in the north by Jordan, in the east by the Najd, and in the south by the Region of 'Asir.[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]

This article is about the geographical and historical region. For the mountain region, see Hijaz Mountains. For other uses, see Hejaz (disambiguation).

Hejaz
Al-Ḥijāz (ٱلْحِجَاز)
Hijaz

As the location of the cities of Mecca[4] and Medina,[5][6][7] respectively the first and second holiest 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, with Hejazi Arabic being the most widely spoken dialect here. Some Hejazis are of ethnically diverse origins,[3] although the vast majority are of Arab origin.[9]


According to Islamic tradition, this region is the birthplace of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, who was born in Mecca, which is locally considered to have been founded by his ancestors Abraham, Ishmael, and Hagar.[10][11] 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.[12] In September 1932, the Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd joined the Saudi dominions of Al-Hasa and Qatif, creating the unified Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.[13][14]

Etymology[edit]

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",[15] and it is so called as it separates the land of the Najd in the east from the land of Tihāmah in the west.

Flag of the Rashidun Caliphate (632–661)

Flag of the Rashidun Caliphate (632–661)

Flag of the Umayyad Caliphate (661–750)

Flag of the Umayyad Caliphate (661–750)

Flag of the Abbasid Caliphate (750–1258)

Flag of the Abbasid Caliphate (750–1258)

Flag of the Fatimid Caliphate (909–1171)

Flag of the Fatimid Caliphate (909–1171)

Flag of the Ayyubid dynasty (1171–1254)

Flag of the Ayyubid dynasty (1171–1254)

Flag of the Mamluk Sultanate (1254–1517)

Flag of the Mamluk Sultanate (1254–1517)

Flag of the Ottoman Empire (1517–1916)

Flag of the Ottoman Empire (1517–1916)

Provisional flag of the Kingdom of Hejaz from 1916 to 1917

Provisional flag of the Kingdom of Hejaz from 1916 to 1917

Flag of the Kingdom of Hejaz (1917–1920)

Flag of the Kingdom of Hejaz (1917–1920)

Flag of the Kingdom of Hejaz and the Sharifian Caliphate (1920 to 1926)

Flag of the Kingdom of Hejaz and the Sharifian Caliphate (1920 to 1926)

Flag of the Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd (1926 to 1932)

Flag of the Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd (1926 to 1932)

Flag of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (1973–present)

Flag of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (1973–present)

[60]

Al-Bāḥah

Demographics[edit]

The Hejaz is the most populated region in Saudi Arabia,[8] containing 35% of the population of Saudi Arabia.[70] Most people of Hejaz are Sunnis 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 Ottomans.[71] 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.[72]

Mountains near At-Ta'if, 2012

Mountains near At-Ta'if, 2012

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.

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.

Muslim pilgrims gathering at the plain of Mount Arafat

Muslim pilgrims gathering at the plain of Mount Arafat

Mount Uhud in the area of Medina

Mount Uhud in the area of Medina

Al-Bahah City, located 2,155 m (7,070 ft) above sea level

Al-Bahah City, located 2,155 m (7,070 ft) above sea level

Salih of Thamud[a]

[35]

Mackey, Sandra (2002). The Saudis: Inside the Desert Kingdom (Updated ed.). New York: W. W. Norton and Company.  0-393-32417-6. PBK, first edition: 1987.

ISBN

. Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). 1911.

"Hejaz"