Hejaz Vilayet

The Vilayet of the Hejaz (Arabic: ولاية الحجاز, romanized: Wilāyat al-Ḥijāz; Ottoman Turkish: ولايت حجاز, romanized: Vilâyet-i Hicaz), was a first-level administrative division (vilayet) of the Ottoman Empire, which is equal to provinces in modern-day countries. This province was very important to the Ottomans, because owning holy cities of Mecca and Jeddah helped them legitimize their government.[1]

History

Background

Before the Ottoman Sultan Selim I defeated the Mamluk Sultanate and took over Egypt in 1517, the Mamluks had suzerainty over the region. After the Ottomans defeated the Mamluks, the emir of Mecca, who owned the area of Hejaz, gave his allegiance to the Ottomans to defend his land from the Portuguese.[2]After Hejaz this, Salem I created the title of "Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques"At first, Hejaz was administrated under the Eyalet of Egypt. Eventually, it was administrated under the Governers of Jeddah.

References

  1. ↑ Ágoston, Gábor; Masters, Bruce Alan (2009). Encyclopedia of the Ottoman Empire. Infobase Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4381-1025-7.
  2. ↑ "BEREKÂT". TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi (in Turkish). Retrieved 2026-05-22.
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