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| Sherif Hussein bin Ali | |
|---|---|
| Name | Sherif Hussein bin Ali |
| Native name | شريف حسين بن علي |
| Birth date | 1853 |
| Birth place | Mecca |
| Death date | 4 June 1931 |
| Death place | Cairo |
| Occupation | Sharif, Emir, King |
| Known for | Leader of the Arab Revolt; King of Hejaz |
| Title | Sharif of Mecca |
Sherif Hussein bin Ali was a Hashemite Arab leader who served as Sharif and Emir of Mecca and later proclaimed himself King of Hejaz during the aftermath of World War I. He is primarily noted for initiating the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire and for his wartime correspondence with British officials that included the McMahon–Hussein correspondence. His political career intersects with figures such as T. E. Lawrence, Faisal I of Iraq, Abdullah I of Jordan, and events like the Sykes–Picot Agreement and the Treaty of Sèvres.
Born in 1853 in Mecca within the Hejaz Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire, he belonged to the Hashemite family which claimed descent from the Prophet Muhammad. His father, Sharif Ali bin Muhammad, belonged to the influential Dhawu Awn clan of the Banu Hashim; his lineage connected him to regional power structures such as the sherifian households of Jeddah and tribal confederations like the Quraysh. During his youth he witnessed the Tanzimat reforms of the Ottoman Empire and the rise of Abdulhamid II, which affected provincial administration in Mecca and relations among families like the Al Saud and the Ottoman-appointed governors. He married into prominent families connected to elites in Medina, Damascus, and Cairo, producing sons including Faisal I of Iraq and Abdullah I of Jordan who later figured in the postwar Arab states shaped by the Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon and the British Mandate for Palestine.
As Sharif and Emir, he occupied a ceremonial and administrative role centered on custody of the Kaaba in Masjid al-Haram and management of pilgrimage routes to Hajj in coordination with Ottoman institutions like the Sharia Courts and the Istanbul-based ministry. His office involved negotiation with regional powers such as the Emirate of Jabal Shammar and tribal leaders including the Anaza and Banu Yam, and interaction with foreign missions from states like the United Kingdom, France, and Italy. Conflicts over taxation, security of pilgrims, and authority with Ottoman governors precipitated periodic tensions that aligned him with other Arab notables in cities such as Cairo and Alexandria seeking greater autonomy. His tenure overlapped with infrastructural projects like the Hejaz Railway built by Germany and promoted by figures associated with the Central Powers during World War I.
In June 1916 he launched the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire, declaring the revolt from Mecca and coordinating military actions across the Hejaz and into the Syrian Desert. He negotiated with British envoys including E. J. W. H. and more prominently T. E. Lawrence of Arab Bureau, producing correspondence known as the McMahon–Hussein correspondence. These interactions occurred against parallel agreements such as the Sykes–Picot Agreement and the Balfour Declaration and involved British departments like the Foreign Office and the War Office. Military operations featured engagements in locations like Jeddah, Ta'if, Medina, and the Hejaz Railway, with commanders such as Ali bin Hussein and tribal allies including the Howeitat. The revolt influenced Allied campaigns including the Sinai and Palestine Campaign and the capture of Damascus by forces under Faisal I of Syria and Allenby. Frictions over postwar promises led to disputes with British officials including Arthur Balfour and diplomats at conferences like Paris Peace Conference, 1919.
After World War I he proclaimed himself King of Hejaz in 1916 and briefly established influence in Syria when his son Faisal I of Syria entered Damascus in 1918 to assume Arab administration. The French Republic and the Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon contested Hashemite aspirations, culminating in French military action such as the Battle of Maysalun and the expulsion of Hashemite authority from Damascus in 1920. Meanwhile, British decisions at conferences including San Remo Conference and treaties like the Treaty of Lausanne affected territorial outcomes for Hashemite rulers. His reign in Hejaz faced challenges from the rising Al Saud dynasty under Abdulaziz Ibn Saud who captured key cities including Ta'if and Jeddah, leveraging support from tribes and the Ikhwan movement. International dynamics involved the League of Nations mandates and actors such as King Hussein I of Jordan and representatives from Iraq and Transjordan shaped by British influence.
After his defeat by Abdulaziz Ibn Saud in 1924–1925 he went into exile, first to Istanbul and then to Cairo, where he died in 1931. His descendants established ruling dynasties: Faisal I of Iraq became king of Iraq under the British Mandate for Mesopotamia, and Abdullah I of Jordan became emir and later king of Transjordan and Jordan, linking his lineage to modern states including Iraq and Jordan. Other family members such as Prince Ali bin Hussein and connections to houses like Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq and Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan have influenced regional politics, dynastic marriages, and claims to the Caliphate and custodianship of holy sites. His role shaped debates at forums like the League of Nations and conferences such as Cairo Conference (1921) and affected mandates administered by officials like Gertrude Bell and Lord Curzon.
He received honors and recognition from Allied governments and was a subject in contemporary literature and memoirs by figures including T. E. Lawrence (Seven Pillars of Wisdom), Gertrude Bell (Letters and Diaries), and diplomats such as Lord Allenby whose campaigns intersected with the Arab Revolt. Cultural depictions appear in films and historical works covering the Arab Revolt, the fall of the Ottoman Empire, and the emergence of states like Syria, Iraq, and Jordan, as well as in scholarship by historians of Middle Eastern history, Arab nationalism, and post‑World War I diplomacy. Commemorations include funerary observances in Cairo and mentions in institutional histories of the Hashemite dynasties and pilgrimage administration in Mecca.
Category:Hashemite dynasty Category:Kings of Hejaz Category:Arab Revolt