Kingdoms of Hejaz and Saudi Arabia Coexisting?

A random thought but what if anything might be the outcome if during the unification of Saudi Arabia Abdul-Aziz bin Saud was able to consolidate his position in Najd and conquer Al-Hasa as in our timeline but was beaten to the punch in the Asir region by the Kingdom of Hejaz and then several years later when the Saudis attempt to invade the Kingdom they're successfully repulsed. The end result being a Kingdom of Hijaz running along the western Arabian coastline down from the Emirate of Transjordan to the Kingdom of Yemen - made up of the modern day Saudi regions of Tabuk, Al Madinah, Makkah, Al Bahah, Asir and Jizan - and a reduced Saudi Arabia making up the rest of what we know as Saudi Arabia. The Saudis have been able to take a leading global role thanks to owning Mecca and Medina which helps control the Hajj and oil income that allows them to help push their particular interpretation of Islam abroad by funding literature and imams, in this scenario though the Hashemites will be in control of the former. Do people think that the Saudis would still be able to influence things as heavily not being the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques but still with all the oil wealth or might we see it blunted a bit?
 
I would tend to think that the Saudi's would loose a lot of their power and influence without the larger oil revenue and control of the Holy sites. There is a chance that without the money throw in by the Saudi's more moderate versions of Islam might thrive.
 

yourworstnightmare

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Wasn't Asir it's own Emirate under the Idrisids until it was absorbed by the Saudis due to the fear of the Asir elite of the ambitions of Yemen (though the Idrisids ended up backing Yemen in the Saudi- Yemeni war in hope of getting their land back).
 
Wasn't Asir it's own Emirate under the Idrisids until it was absorbed by the Saudis due to the fear of the Asir elite of the ambitions of Yemen (though the Idrisids ended up backing Yemen in the Saudi- Yemeni war in hope of getting their land back).

It was indeed.

As it stands, I think you need to have the Saudis look like worse potential allies to Britain leading the latter to protect her interests in Hashemite Hedjaz over them. They'll definitely be less influential, but with the oil wealth they'll probably still be significant.
 
Would Jordan exist? Wasn't giving the eastern 2/3s of the Mandate of Palestine as well as Iraq to the Hashemites basically repayment for losing Hedjaz?
 
One of the arguments used by al Qaeda and other terrorists groups that the USA was stationing troops in the home country of Mecca and Medina? If Saudi Arabia doesn't have the Hejaz then those military installations (which are not anywhere near the Hejaz to my knowledge) aren't in the same country as Mecca and Medina. Does this matter at all to change anything?

Obviously terrorists are terrorists and one propaganda point being taken away can't change that 9/11 will happen. I'm just wondering if maybe it makes something different with anti-US rhetoric at all in anyone's opinion.

One thing I'm also curious if anyone has an opinion on- Hejaz's relations with Israel. Just another anti-zionist Arab Muslim nation or perhaps with their sister Hashemite nation of Jordan goes to peace eventually. Could there be a way that Israel and Hejaz come to peace before even Egypt and Israel based on opening up the religious sites in each country or something?
 
I would tend to think that the Saudi's would loose a lot of their power and influence without the larger oil revenue and control of the Holy sites. There is a chance that without the money thrown in by the Saudi's more moderate versions of Islam might thrive.
Err, you obviously missed the part about the Saudis still owning the eastern two thirds or more of modern-day Saudi Arabia which is where all the major oil deposits are located.


Would Jordan exist? Wasn't giving the eastern 2/3s of the Mandate of Palestine as well as Iraq to the Hashemites basically repayment for losing Hedjaz?
Nope, as others have said it was created four years before the Kingdom of Hejaz was conquered. It was in compensation for Abdullah not attacking the French in Syria in the wake of his brother Faisal being expelled thanks to the Franco-Syrian War thereby avoiding a messy diplomatic incident for the British.


One of the arguments used by al Qaeda and other terrorists groups that the USA was stationing troops in the home country of Mecca and Medina? If Saudi Arabia doesn't have the Hejaz then those military installations (which are not anywhere near the Hejaz to my knowledge) aren't in the same country as Mecca and Medina. Does this matter at all to change anything?
That could certainly take some of the heat out of things. There's also the question of whether there would be an Al-Qaeda since the bin Laden family made their fortune thanks to obtaining major building contracts in Mecca before getting the monopoly on all religious building construction in the country and generally being close to the al Sauds. Now they might make their money in other areas of the construction industry but it likely won't be as extensive, which means Osama may not have the family resources to go swanning around Pakistan and Afghanistan.
 
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