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The Sharifate of Mecca (Arabic: شرافة مكة‎ Sharāfa Makka) or Emirate of Mecca was a state on the Arabian Peninsula, non-sovereign for much of its existence (c. 968-1925), ruled by the Sharifs of Mecca. The state's land included Mecca, Medina, and the Hejaz. From 1201, the Banu Qatada ruled over the Sharifate in unbroken succession. In 1925, the Sharifate was absorbed into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Sharifate of Mecca in Through Darkest Europe[]

The Sharifate of Mecca and Medina, which controlled Islam's two holiest cities as well as the Rub' al-Khali, was the most conservative state in the Muslim world. For example, it remained the one Muslim nation which still enforced the Qu'ran's prohibition on alcohol.[1] Despite their obsessive piety, the ruling House of Faisali ruthlessly squeezed money out of hajj pilgrims, and were infamous for their lack of generosity. In that regard, they resembled European tinpots rather than progressive Muslim leaders, and there was a general apprehension that their long-suffering subjects would one day make them regret this.[2]

References[]

  1. Through Darkest Europe, pg. 34, HC.
  2. Ibid., pgs. 168-169.
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