Sharif of Mecca

The Sharif of Mecca was the ruler of Mecca and much of the Hejaz, chosen from among the descendants of the Prophet Muhammad through his grandson Hasan, from the 10th century until 1925. The sharifs usually acknowledged the overlordship of a stronger Muslim power, such as the Mamluks or the Ottomans, and their recognition lent prestige to claimants of the caliphate. The last sharifs, of the Hashemite family, lost the Hejaz to Ibn Saud in 1925.