Hejaz (Arabia)
Sharif Hussein ibn Ali
1854–1931 Sharif of Mecca; leader of the Arab Revolt
A descendant of the Prophet and the guardian of the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, Hussein was appointed Sharif by the Ottoman Sultan in 1908 but feared that the Young Turks would depose him. He corresponded secretly with the British High Commissioner Sir Henry McMahon in 1915–16, and on 10 June 1916 proclaimed a revolt against Ottoman rule, soon proclaiming himself King of the Hejaz. His sons Faisal and Abdullah led the military campaign. Disappointed by the Sykes-Picot agreement and the Balfour Declaration, he refused to accept the postwar settlement, was dethroned by Ibn Saud in 1924 and died in exile in Amman in 1931. His sons became kings of Iraq and Jordan.