This article is about the geographical and historical region. For the mountain region, see
Hijaz Mountains. For other uses, see
Hejaz (disambiguation).
The Hejaz (/hiːˈdʒæz,hɪˈ-/, also US: /hɛˈ-/;
Arabic: ٱلْحِجَاز,
romanized: al-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]
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]
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.
According to
Al-Masudi the northern part of Hejaz was a dependency of ancient Israel ,[18] and according to
Butrus al-Bustani the Jews in Hejaz established a sovereign state.[19] The German orientalist
Ferdinand 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. The
Adnanites were a tribal confederation of the
IshmaeliteArabs, who trace their lineage back to
Ishmael son of the
Islamic prophet and
patriarchAbraham and his wife
Hagar through
Adnan, who originate from the Hejaz. [23] 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 Ka'bah ('Cube'),[24][25][26] which would have social, religious, political and historical implications for the site and region.[10][11]
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,[27] and include Muhammad ibn
Abdullah ibn Abdul-Muttalib ibn
Hashim ibn Abd Manaf. From the Period of Jāhiliyyah ('Ignorance') to the days of Muhammad, the often-warring Arab tribes would cease their hostilities during the time of
Pilgrimage, and go on pilgrimage to Mecca, as inspired by Ibrahim.[26] It was during such an occasion that Muhammad met some Madanis who would allow him to
migrate to Medina, to escape
persecution by his opponents in Mecca.[28][29][30][31][32][33]
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
Qur'an,[34] and the site is known for having structures carved into rocks, similar to
Petra.[35][36] Construction of the structures is credited to the people of
Thamud. The location is also called Madāʾin Ṣāliḥ ("Cities of Saleh"),[37][38][39][40][41][42] 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.[22][43][44][45]
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
Rashidun Caliphate, in particular whilst its capital was Medina from 632 to 656
ACE. 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.
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.[52] 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.
The cultural setting of Hejaz is greatly influenced by
that of Islam, 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.[55][56] 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.
Cuisine
Hejazi cuisine has mostly Arabian dishes like the rest of Saudi Arabia, Some dishes are native to the Hejaz, like
Saleeg.[57] Other Dishes were imported from other cultures through Saudis of different origins, like
Mantu (منتو), Yaghmush (يَغْمُش) and
Ruz Bukhāri (رُز بُخاري) from Central Asia,
Burēk (بُريك) and
Šurēkشُريك and Kabab almīru (كباب الميرو) from Turkey and the Balkans,
Mandi (مَنْدي) and
Mutabbag (مُطَبَّق) from Yemen,
Biryāniبرياني and Kābli (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 spice.
Geography
The region is located along the Red Sea Rift. It is also known for its darker, more
volcanicsand. 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.[58] 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 180,000 km2 (69,000 sq mi), an area greater than the state of
Missouri.[59]
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]
Ali ibn Abi Talib,[32][33] cousin and son-in-law of Muhammad, and Caliph
Hamzah, son of Abdul-Muttalib, and a paternal uncle of Muhammad, and other Muhajirun[5] or Makkan followers of Muhammad, including Ubaydah and Sa'd[32][33][47]
^
ab"Mecca: Islam's cosmopolitan heart". Archived from
the original on December 14, 2018. Retrieved July 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 the
pilgrims to Mecca, many of whom settled and intermarried there.
^Rothenberg, "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, newsletter no. 23 (2003), p. 12.
^Riedel, Bruce (2011).
"Brezhnev in the Hejaz"(PDF). The National Interest. 115. Archived from
the original(PDF) on November 15, 2013. Retrieved April 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. Retrieved June 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.