In June 1916, Hussein declared himself King of the Hejaz, formalizing Hashemite sovereignty over the region during World War I and setting the institutional predecessor that would later be conquered by Ibn Saud.
Sharif Hussein ibn Ali initiated the Arab Revolt in Mecca against Ottoman rule, launching the political-military break that enabled an independent Hashemite state to emerge in the Hejaz.
The postwar international status of the Hashemite monarchy was strengthened when the Allies recognized Hussein as King of the Hejaz, even though broader Hashemite claims (e.g., wider Arab kingship) were not accepted.
Hussein’s declaration of himself as caliph heightened regional and religious stakes and helped precipitate confrontation with Ibn Saud and the Ikhwan, who contested his legitimacy.
Ibn Saud’s forces opened the 1924–1925 campaign (often described as the Saudi conquest of the Hejaz/Second Hejaz–Nejd War), aiming to seize the Red Sea coast and the holy cities from Hashemite rule.
The capture of Ta'if in September 1924 marked the first major breakthrough for Ibn Saud’s forces in the Hejaz and opened the road toward Mecca, accelerating the Hashemite collapse.
Facing military reversals, Hussein abdicated in early October 1924 and was succeeded by his son Ali bin Hussein, narrowing Hashemite options to holding key ports and cities while Saudi forces advanced.
Ibn Saud’s army took Mecca on 5 December 1924, transferring effective control of Islam’s holiest city away from the Hashemite monarchy and leaving Jeddah and Medina as principal holdouts.
After Mecca’s fall, Saudi forces tightened pressure on the Hejaz by besieging Jeddah, the kingdom’s crucial Red Sea port and the Hashemites’ main remaining center of government and supply.
Medina capitulated in December 1925, removing a major religious and strategic stronghold from Hashemite control and further isolating Jeddah during the closing phase of the conquest.
By 19 December 1925, Hashemite resistance collapsed and the Kingdom of Hejaz effectively surrendered to Ibn Saud’s forces, ending the Hashemite monarchy in the Hejaz.
Ibn Saud was proclaimed King of the Hejaz at the Great Mosque of Mecca on 8 January 1926, formalizing Saudi rule over the holy cities and inaugurating the administration of the Hejaz under Al Saud authority.
Conquest and incorporation of the Hejaz (1916–1926)
