History Hejaz Vilayet

1 history

1.1 background
1.2 wahhabi occupation
1.3 vilayet period

history
background

the kaaba in mecca, in 1889.

sultan selim defeated mamluk sultanate in 1517 , took on egypt. hejaz @ time, mamluk suzerainty , had relied on egypt grain imports, under threat aggressive portuguese navy in red sea. result, emir of mecca @ time, berekat ibn muhammed haseni, sent 12-year-old son, muhammad (future ebu-numey ), egypt , pledged allegiance ottoman sultan, along key mecca. sultan allowed emir of mecca remain in power in exchange loyalty sultan. strengthen sultan s legitimacy in hejaz , in muslim world, sultan adopted title custodian of 2 holy mosques. initially, ottomans administered hejaz under eyalet of egypt. sharif of mecca represented imperial authority in region. administration later fell governors of jeddah, , eyalet of jeddah later transformed hejaz vilayet, governor in mecca.

wahhabi occupation

since 1750s, wahabi muslims, puritanical sect najd region backed influential al saud family, began pose threat stability of hejaz. in 1801, while ottoman porte s attention diverted french invasion of egypt, wahhabis overpowered local hejazi defences , captured holy cities. Şerif pasha, governor of jeddah, temporarily wrestled mecca wahhabis defeated in 1806. wahhabis imposed strict religious doctrines in holy cities; mentioning of sultan forbidden during friday sermons, officials 4 madhabs (schools of islamic jurisprudence) dismissed , replaced wahabbis. in 1807, leader of wahhabi army ibn saud ordered expulsion of pilgrims , troops loyal emir of mecca, looting of city later followed. alleged ibn saud banned pilgrim caravans accompanied trumpets , drums, contrary wahhabi doctrines.

the ottoman government found unable confront wahhabis, , gave task of defeating them powerful muhammad ali pasha of egypt in 1809-1810. muhammad ali pasha dispatched army commanded son tusun pasha in 1811, , retook medina , mecca in 1812 , 1813 respectively. tusun pasha died of disease during campaign , replaced younger brother, ibrahim pasha, continued campaign najd, war ending in september 1818, defeat , dissolution of known first saudi state. 1818 1845, region administered egypt, until muhammad ali forced restore hejaz sultan result of second turko-egyptian war. osman pasha appointed governorship of hejaz. borders of province redefined better, , emirate of mecca restored.

vilayet period

the arabian peninsula in 1914

in late 1860s, commission sent hejaz reorganize province, , following decades saw introduction of administrative reforms. hejaz reorganized vilayet in 1872 according vilayet law of 1864. province divided sanjaks, kazas , nahiyes. mecca became center of vilayet, medina , jeddah sanjaks. administrative structure of hejaz reformed, changes enacted in rest of empire not implemented here.

othman pascha, governor of hejaz 1882 1886.

the towns of mecca , medina exempted paying taxes , in fact, given subsidies, called surre, ottoman treasury distributed poor in mecca , medina. hejaz region first received subvention in reign of abbasid caliph al-muqtadir in tenth century, afterwards became customary other caliphs , sultans send these subsidies. however, aside residents of mecca , medina, inhabitants of other towns , villages did not benefit much. subsidies paid notable nomadic shaikhs, had potential disrupt passage of pilgrims in region. entire province exempted military service; attempts overturn exemption blocked sharif of mecca.

the ottomans maintained garrison force of 7,000 soldiers under command of officers, in addition sharif s own personal guard of 500. proper garrisons stationed @ towns of mecca , medina whereas pocket garrisons kept in jeddah, yanbu , ta if- of alongside strategic hejaz railway. besides these settlements, roads , other infrastructure not under ottoman control - roads yanbu medina required strong escorts , mecca-medina railway route regularly closed tribesmen demanded payment passage - highway robbery , murder common on these roads.

the ottomans completed hejaz railway, linking damascus medina, in 1908, railway severely damaged during world war , later abandoned. in 1916, result of mcmahon–hussein correspondence, sharif hussein ibn ali declared himself king of hejaz.