Hejaz

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Map showing location within Saudi Arabia

Hejaz (also Hijaz, Hedjaz; Arabic: الحجاز‎ al-Ḥiǧāz) is a region in the northwest of present-day Saudi Arabia. Defined mostly by 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 city of Mecca. As a region, The Hijaz, as it is often referred to, because of being the site of Islam's holy places, has significance in the Arab and Islamic historical and political landscape. In Arabic, Hejaz means literally "the barrier" as it separates the land of Najd in the east from the land of Tehama in the west.

Evidence has been found the Hejaz (or parts of it) was part of the Roman province of Arabia [1]. Under the control of regional powers such as Egypt or the Ottoman Empire through most of its history, the Hejaz enjoyed a brief period of political independence in the early 20th century. It was one of several regions of the Ottoman Empire provoked into rebellion by T. E. Lawrence ("of Arabia") of the British during World War I. In 1916 its independence was proclaimed by Sherif Hussein ibn Ali, the Sherif of Makkah. In 1924, however, ibn Ali's authority was usurped by ibn Saud of the neighboring nation of Nejd and became known as the Kingdom of Hijaz and Nejd and later the Saudi Arabian state.

Geographically, the region is located along the Great Rift Valley. The region is also known for it darker more volcanic sand. Depending on the previous definition, Hejaz includes the high mountains of Sarawat which topographically separate Najd from Tehamah.