Al Ḩijāz or Hejaz, province, western Saudi Arabia, bordering the Red Sea. It is largely an arid highland region, with some oasis agriculture. Mecca and Medina, the principal holy cities of Islam, are located in Al Ḩijāz. Other population centres include Aţ Ţā’if and the Red Sea port of Jiddah. Al Ḩijāz came under the rule of Egypt in 1258 and passed to the Turkish Ottoman Empire in 1517. Rebelling against Ottoman rule, it was briefly (1916-1924) an independent kingdom. In 1926, it was merged with the neighbouring kingdom of Najd and in 1932 was incorporated with other regions to form the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.