During the Ottoman period the Emirate was not hereditary, and owed its succession to direct nomination by the Ottoman Porte. A dual system of government existed over Mecca for much of this period. Ruling authority was shared between the Emir, a member of the ashraf or descendants of Muhammad, and the Ottoman wāli or governor. This system continued until the Arab Revolt of 1916. Apart from the Emirs of Mecca, Ottoman administration in the Hejaz was first at the hands of the Governor of Egypt and then the Governors of Jeddah. The Eyalet of Jeddah was later transformed into the Hejaz Vilayet, with a governor in Mecca.
In 1630, a flood swept Mecca, almost completely destroying the Kaaba. It was restored by 1636. In 1680, about 100 people drowned in another flood in Mecca.
The Saudis started to be a threat on the Hejaz from the 1750s onwards. Subscribing to the Salafi–Wahhabi creed, the religious establishment of the Saudis rose as a religious movement in Diriyah in the Najd in 1744–1745. Their doctrine found few sympathisers in the Hejaz, and the Mufti of Mecca pronounced them heretics. They were able to take the two holy cities in 1801. In 1803 the Wahhabis, led by Abdulaziz Al Saud, attacked Mecca. Sharif Ghalib fled to Jeddah, which was besieged shortly thereafter. Sharif Ghalib was sent back to Mecca as a Saudi vassal.
After the Hejaz was restored to the Ottomans, the provincial administration was restructured, and it was organised as the Vilayet of Hejaz. This led to the creation of two parallel political and administrative bodies: the Emirate and the Vilayet. After the Governor started to reside in Mecca, the Vilayet in a way took the Emirate into its jurisdiction, leading to a situation of dual government.
The reform provided for the loss of the near-autonomy of the Emir, leading to a conflict between Emir and wāli that lasted for the rest of the 19th century. Even then, the Emir of Mecca was not relegated to a position where he would be subordinate to the wāli. The Emirs of Mecca continued to have a say in the administration of the Hejaz alongside the governors. The two had an uneasy parallel coexistence: while ruling over the same geography, they divided authority in a complex way, leading to a continuous negotiation, conflict or cooperation between them.
Randall Baker (1979). King Husain and the Kingdom of Hejaz. The Oleander Press. p. 2. ISBN 978-0-900891-48-9. Retrieved 10 June 2013. 978-0-900891-48-9
Mortel, Richard (1991). "The Origins and Early History of the Husaynid Amirate of Madīna to the End of the Ayyūbid Period". Studia Islamica: 76. Retrieved 25 March 2025. In conclusion, the Husaynid amirate of Madina can perhaps best be described, in the words of the 9th/15th century Egyptian encyclopedist, al-Qalqashandi, as a beduin state, a characteristic which it shares with its more powerful neighbor to the south, the amirate of Mecca. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1595897
Gerhard Böwering; Patricia Crone; Mahan Mirza (2011). The Princeton Encyclopedia of Islamic Political Thought. Princeton University Press. p. 190. ISBN 978-0-691-13484-0. Retrieved 14 June 2013. 978-0-691-13484-0
David George Hogarth (1978). Hejaz Before World War I: A Handbook. The Oleander Press. pp. 49–50. ISBN 978-0-902675-74-2. Retrieved 11 June 2013. 978-0-902675-74-2
Joshua Teitelbaum (2001). The Rise and Fall of the Hashimite Kingdom of Arabia. C. Hurst & Co. Publishers. p. 9. ISBN 978-1-85065-460-5. Retrieved 11 June 2013. 978-1-85065-460-5
Jordan: Keys to the Kingdom. Jordan Media Group. 1995. p. xvi.
Die Welt des Islams: Zeitschrift der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Islamkunde. D. Reimer. 2008. https://books.google.com/books?id=gHsMAQAAMAAJ&q=shia+sharifs+hijaz
Richard T. Mortel "Zaydi Shi'ism and the Hasanid Sharifs of Mecca," International Journal of Middle East Studies 19 (1987): 455–472, at 462-464
"The Zaydi denomination of the (Ḥasanid) Sharifian rulers of Mecca and the Imāmi-Shiʿi leanings of the (Ḥusaynid) emirs of Medina were well known to medieval Sunni and Shiʿi observers. This situation gradually changed under Mamluk rule (for the development over several centuries, up to the end of the Mamluk period, see articles by Mortel mentioned in the bibliography below). A number of Shiʿite and Sunnite sources hint at (alleged or real) sympathy for the Shiʿa among the Hāshemite (officially Sunni) families of the Ḥejāz, or at least some of their members". Encyclopedia Iranica. www.iranicaonline.org/articles/shiites-in-arabia /wiki/Encyclopedia_Iranica
Kamal S. Salibi (15 December 1998). The Modern History of Jordan. I.B.Tauris. pp. 53–55. ISBN 978-1-86064-331-6. Retrieved 11 June 2013. 978-1-86064-331-6
Kamal S. Salibi (15 December 1998). The Modern History of Jordan. I.B.Tauris. pp. 53–55. ISBN 978-1-86064-331-6. Retrieved 11 June 2013. 978-1-86064-331-6
Kamal S. Salibi (15 December 1998). The Modern History of Jordan. I.B.Tauris. pp. 53–55. ISBN 978-1-86064-331-6. Retrieved 11 June 2013. 978-1-86064-331-6
Halm 2003, p. 113. - Halm, Heinz (2003). Die Kalifen von Kairo: Die Fatimiden in Ägypten, 973–1074 [The Caliphs of Cairo: The Fatimids in Egypt, 973–1074] (in German). Munich: C. H. Beck. ISBN 3-406-48654-1. https://books.google.com/books?id=Hj2bhVntO3EC
Halm 2003, pp. 113–114. - Halm, Heinz (2003). Die Kalifen von Kairo: Die Fatimiden in Ägypten, 973–1074 [The Caliphs of Cairo: The Fatimids in Egypt, 973–1074] (in German). Munich: C. H. Beck. ISBN 3-406-48654-1. https://books.google.com/books?id=Hj2bhVntO3EC
Kamal S. Salibi (15 December 1998). The Modern History of Jordan. I.B.Tauris. pp. 53–55. ISBN 978-1-86064-331-6. Retrieved 11 June 2013. 978-1-86064-331-6
Halm 2003, pp. 114–116. - Halm, Heinz (2003). Die Kalifen von Kairo: Die Fatimiden in Ägypten, 973–1074 [The Caliphs of Cairo: The Fatimids in Egypt, 973–1074] (in German). Munich: C. H. Beck. ISBN 3-406-48654-1. https://books.google.com/books?id=Hj2bhVntO3EC
Kamal S. Salibi (15 December 1998). The Modern History of Jordan. I.B.Tauris. pp. 53–55. ISBN 978-1-86064-331-6. Retrieved 11 June 2013. 978-1-86064-331-6
Kamal S. Salibi (15 December 1998). The Modern History of Jordan. I.B.Tauris. pp. 53–55. ISBN 978-1-86064-331-6. Retrieved 11 June 2013. 978-1-86064-331-6
Kamal S. Salibi (15 December 1998). The Modern History of Jordan. I.B.Tauris. pp. 53–55. ISBN 978-1-86064-331-6. Retrieved 11 June 2013. 978-1-86064-331-6
Kamal S. Salibi (15 December 1998). The Modern History of Jordan. I.B.Tauris. pp. 53–55. ISBN 978-1-86064-331-6. Retrieved 11 June 2013. 978-1-86064-331-6
Prothero, G.W. (1920). Arabia. London: H.M. Stationery Office. p. 31. http://www.wdl.org/en/item/11767/view/1/31/
Kamal S. Salibi (15 December 1998). The Modern History of Jordan. I.B.Tauris. pp. 53–55. ISBN 978-1-86064-331-6. Retrieved 11 June 2013. 978-1-86064-331-6
Kamal S. Salibi (15 December 1998). The Modern History of Jordan. I.B.Tauris. p. 56. ISBN 978-1-86064-331-6. Retrieved 11 June 2013. 978-1-86064-331-6
Kamal S. Salibi (15 December 1998). The Modern History of Jordan. I.B.Tauris. p. 56. ISBN 978-1-86064-331-6. Retrieved 11 June 2013. 978-1-86064-331-6
David George Hogarth (1978). Hejaz Before World War I: A Handbook. The Oleander Press. pp. 49–50. ISBN 978-0-902675-74-2. Retrieved 11 June 2013. 978-0-902675-74-2
David E. Long (1979). The Hajj Today: A Survey of the Contemporary Makkah Pilgrimage. SUNY Press. pp. 37–38. ISBN 978-0-87395-382-5. Retrieved 11 June 2013. 978-0-87395-382-5
David E. Long (1979). The Hajj Today: A Survey of the Contemporary Makkah Pilgrimage. SUNY Press. pp. 37–38. ISBN 978-0-87395-382-5. Retrieved 11 June 2013. 978-0-87395-382-5
David E. Long (1979). The Hajj Today: A Survey of the Contemporary Makkah Pilgrimage. SUNY Press. pp. 37–38. ISBN 978-0-87395-382-5. Retrieved 11 June 2013. 978-0-87395-382-5
Numan 2005, p. 61-62. - Numan, Nurtaç (November 2005), The Emirs of Mecca and the Ottoman Government of Hijaz, 1840-1908, The Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences
Numan 2005, p. 15. - Numan, Nurtaç (November 2005), The Emirs of Mecca and the Ottoman Government of Hijaz, 1840-1908, The Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences
Numan 2005, p. 15. - Numan, Nurtaç (November 2005), The Emirs of Mecca and the Ottoman Government of Hijaz, 1840-1908, The Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences
Hejaz (region, Saudi Arabia) -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/259797/Hejaz
Randall Baker (1979). King Husain and the Kingdom of Hejaz. The Oleander Press. p. 2. ISBN 978-0-900891-48-9. Retrieved 10 June 2013. 978-0-900891-48-9
Numan 2005, p. 33. - Numan, Nurtaç (November 2005), The Emirs of Mecca and the Ottoman Government of Hijaz, 1840-1908, The Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences
Randall Baker (1979). King Husain and the Kingdom of Hejaz. The Oleander Press. p. 2. ISBN 978-0-900891-48-9. Retrieved 10 June 2013. 978-0-900891-48-9
Numan 2005, p. 34. - Numan, Nurtaç (November 2005), The Emirs of Mecca and the Ottoman Government of Hijaz, 1840-1908, The Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences
James Wynbrandt (2010). A Brief History of Saudi Arabia. Infobase Publishing. p. 101. ISBN 978-0-8160-7876-9. Retrieved 12 June 2013. 978-0-8160-7876-9
Numan 2005, p. 35. - Numan, Nurtaç (November 2005), The Emirs of Mecca and the Ottoman Government of Hijaz, 1840-1908, The Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences
Numan 2005, p. 35. - Numan, Nurtaç (November 2005), The Emirs of Mecca and the Ottoman Government of Hijaz, 1840-1908, The Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences
Bruce Masters (29 April 2013). The Arabs of the Ottoman Empire, 1516-1918: A Social and Cultural History. Cambridge University Press. p. 61. ISBN 978-1-107-03363-4. Retrieved 8 June 2013. 978-1-107-03363-4
Randall Baker (1979). King Husain and the Kingdom of Hejaz. The Oleander Press. p. 2. ISBN 978-0-900891-48-9. Retrieved 10 June 2013. 978-0-900891-48-9
Numan 2005, p. 37. - Numan, Nurtaç (November 2005), The Emirs of Mecca and the Ottoman Government of Hijaz, 1840-1908, The Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences
Numan 2005, p. 37. - Numan, Nurtaç (November 2005), The Emirs of Mecca and the Ottoman Government of Hijaz, 1840-1908, The Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences
Numan 2005, p. 37. - Numan, Nurtaç (November 2005), The Emirs of Mecca and the Ottoman Government of Hijaz, 1840-1908, The Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences
Yasin T. Al-Jibouri (1 September 2011). Kerbala and Beyond: An Epic of Immortal Heroism. AuthorHouse. p. 189. ISBN 978-1-4670-2613-0. Retrieved 12 June 2013. 978-1-4670-2613-0
Yasin T. Al-Jibouri (1 September 2011). Kerbala and Beyond: An Epic of Immortal Heroism. AuthorHouse. p. 189. ISBN 978-1-4670-2613-0. Retrieved 12 June 2013. 978-1-4670-2613-0
Numan 2005, p. 39. - Numan, Nurtaç (November 2005), The Emirs of Mecca and the Ottoman Government of Hijaz, 1840-1908, The Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences
Numan 2005, p. 39. - Numan, Nurtaç (November 2005), The Emirs of Mecca and the Ottoman Government of Hijaz, 1840-1908, The Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences
Numan 2005, p. 42. - Numan, Nurtaç (November 2005), The Emirs of Mecca and the Ottoman Government of Hijaz, 1840-1908, The Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences
Numan 2005, p. 1. - Numan, Nurtaç (November 2005), The Emirs of Mecca and the Ottoman Government of Hijaz, 1840-1908, The Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences
Numan 2005, p. 1. - Numan, Nurtaç (November 2005), The Emirs of Mecca and the Ottoman Government of Hijaz, 1840-1908, The Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences
Numan 2005, p. 61-62. - Numan, Nurtaç (November 2005), The Emirs of Mecca and the Ottoman Government of Hijaz, 1840-1908, The Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences
Numan 2005, p. 73. - Numan, Nurtaç (November 2005), The Emirs of Mecca and the Ottoman Government of Hijaz, 1840-1908, The Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences
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Numan 2005, p. 58. - Numan, Nurtaç (November 2005), The Emirs of Mecca and the Ottoman Government of Hijaz, 1840-1908, The Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences
Kayali, Hasan (2023) [1997]. "A Case Study in Centralization: The Hijaz under Young Turk Rule, 1908–1914". Arabs and Young Turks: Ottomanism, Arabism, and Islamism in the Ottoman Empire, 1908–1918. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press. pp. 147–173. ISBN 9780520204461. 9780520204461
Roshwald, Aviel (2013). "Part II. The Emergence of Nationalism: Politics and Power – Nationalism in the Middle East, 1876–1945". In Breuilly, John (ed.). The Oxford Handbook of the History of Nationalism. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 220–241. doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199209194.013.0011. ISBN 9780191750304. 9780191750304
Kayali, Hasan (2023) [1997]. "A Case Study in Centralization: The Hijaz under Young Turk Rule, 1908–1914". Arabs and Young Turks: Ottomanism, Arabism, and Islamism in the Ottoman Empire, 1908–1918. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press. pp. 147–173. ISBN 9780520204461. 9780520204461
Kayali, Hasan (2023) [1997]. "A Case Study in Centralization: The Hijaz under Young Turk Rule, 1908–1914". Arabs and Young Turks: Ottomanism, Arabism, and Islamism in the Ottoman Empire, 1908–1918. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press. pp. 147–173. ISBN 9780520204461. 9780520204461
Kayali, Hasan (2023) [1997]. "A Case Study in Centralization: The Hijaz under Young Turk Rule, 1908–1914". Arabs and Young Turks: Ottomanism, Arabism, and Islamism in the Ottoman Empire, 1908–1918. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press. pp. 147–173. ISBN 9780520204461. 9780520204461
Kayali, Hasan (2023) [1997]. "A Case Study in Centralization: The Hijaz under Young Turk Rule, 1908–1914". Arabs and Young Turks: Ottomanism, Arabism, and Islamism in the Ottoman Empire, 1908–1918. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press. pp. 147–173. ISBN 9780520204461. 9780520204461
Peters, Francis E. (2017) [1994]. Mecca: A Literary History of the Muslim Holy Land. Princeton Legacy Library. Princeton, New Jersey and Woodstock, Oxfordshire: Princeton University Press. p. 397. ISBN 9781400887361. OCLC 468351969. 9781400887361
"Sharifs of Mecca". The History Files. Retrieved 12 June 2013. http://www.historyfiles.co.uk/KingListsMiddEast/ArabicHashemites.htm