The Sharif of Mecca (Arabic: شريف مكة, romanized: Sharīf Makkah) or Hejaz (Arabic: شريف الحجاز, romanized: Sharīf al-Ḥijāz) was the title of the leader of the Sharifate of Mecca, traditional steward of the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina and the surrounding Hejaz. The term sharif is Arabic for "noble", "highborn", and is used to describe the descendants of Hashim ibn Abd Manaf.
The Sharif was charged with protecting the cities and their environs and ensuring the safety of pilgrims performing the Hajj. The title is sometimes spelled Sheriff or Sherif, with the latter variant used, for example, by T. E. Lawrence in Seven Pillars of Wisdom.
The office of the Sharif of Mecca dates back to the late Abbasid era. Until 1200, the Sharifate was held by a member of the Hashim clan,[1] not to be confused with the larger clan of Banu Hashim from which all Sharifs claim descent. Descendants of the Banu Hashim continued to hold the position until the 20th century on behalf of various Muslim powers including the Ayyubids and the Mamluks. In 1517, the Sharif acknowledged the supremacy of the OttomanCaliph, but maintained a great degree of local autonomy. During the Ottoman era, the Sharifate expanded its authority northwards to include Medina, hitherto a sharifate of its own, and southwards to the frontiers of 'Asir, and regularly raided Nejd.
The Sharifate came to an end shortly after the reign of Hussein bin Ali, who ruled from 1908, who rebelled against the Ottoman rule during the Arab Revolt of 1916. After the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in 1918 and its subsequent dissolution in 1923, Hussein formed the independent Kingdom of Hejaz and then declared himself Caliph. The British granted control over the newly formed states of Iraq and Transjordan to his sons Faisal and Abdullah. In 1924, however, in the face of increasing attacks by Ibn Saud, Hussein abdicated his political titles to his eldest son, Ali bin Hussein, who was to become the last Grand Sharif. At the end of 1925, Ibn Saud conquered the Hejaz and expelled the Hashemites. The House of Saud has ruled Mecca and Medina and overseen the Hajj (annual pilgrimage to Mecca) since that time.[2]
Mortel, Richard T. (1985). "The Genealogy of the Ḥasanid Sharifs of Mecca". Journal of the College of Arts, King Saud University. 12: 221–250.
Mortel, Richard T. (1987). "Zaydi Shiism and the Hasanid Sharifs of Mecca". International Journal of Middle East Studies. 19 (4): 455–472. doi:10.1017/S0020743800056518. JSTOR 163211. S2CID 161236719.
Ibn Fahd, ‘Izz al-Din ‘Abd al-‘Azīz ibn ‘Umar (1986–1988) [Composed before 1518]. Shaltūt, Fahīm Muḥammad (ed.). Ghāyat al-marām bi-akhbār salṭanat al-Balad al-Ḥarām غاية المرام بأخبار سلطنة البلد الحرام (in Arabic) (1st ed.). Makkah: Jāmi‘at Umm al-Qurá, Markaz al-Baḥth al-‘Ilmī wa-Iḥyā’ al-Turāth al-Islāmī, Kullīyat al-Sharīʻah wa-al-Dirāsāt al-Islāmīyah.
Ibn Fahd, Najm al-Din Umar ibn Muḥammad (1983–1984) [Composed before 1481]. Shaltūt, Fahīm Muḥammad (ed.). Itḥāf al-wará bi-akhbār Umm al-Qurá إتحاف الورى بأخبار أم القرى (in Arabic) (1st ed.). Makkah: Jāmi‘at Umm al-Qurá, Markaz al-Baḥth al-‘Ilmī wa-Iḥyā’ al-Turāth al-Islāmī, Kullīyat al-Sharīʻah wa-al-Dirāsāt al-Islāmīyah.
al-Sinjārī, ‘Alī ibn Tāj al-Dīn ibn Taqī al-Dīn (1998) [Composed 1713]. al-Miṣrī, Jamīl ‘Abd Allāh Muḥammad (ed.). Manā'iḥ al-karam fī akhbār Makkah wa-al-Bayt wa-wulāt al-Ḥaram منائح الكرم في أخبار مكة والبيت وولاة الحرم (in Arabic) (1st ed.). Makkah: Jāmi‘at Umm al-Qurá.