Map with the Saudi region outlined in red and the 1923 Kingdom in green

This article contains Arabic text, written from right to left in a cursive style with some letters joined. Without proper rendering support, you may see unjoined Arabic letters written left-to-right instead of right-to-left or other symbols instead of Arabic script.

al-Hejaz, also Hijaz (Arabic: الحجاز‎ al-Ḥiǧāz, literally "the barrier") is a region in the west of present-day Saudi Arabia. Defined primarily by its western border on the Red Sea, it extends from Haql on the Gulf of Aqaba to Jizan. Its main city is Jeddah, but it is probably better known for the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina. As the site of Islam's holy places the Hejaz has significance in the Arab and Islamic historical and political landscape. The region is so called as it separates the land of Najd in the east from the land of Tihamah in the west.

History[link]

Evidence suggests that the northern part of Hejaz was part of the Roman province of Arabia Petraea.^[1]

The Biblical story of the Garden of Eden is in Genesis 2:10–12: "And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone."^[2]

Havilah is usually associated with either the Arabian Peninsula or north-west Yemen, but in the work associated with the Garden of Eden by Juris Zarins, the Hejaz mountains appear to satisfactorily meet the description. The Hejaz includes both the Cradle of Gold at Mahd adh Dhahab (23°30′12.96″N 40°51′34.92″E / 23.5036°N 40.8597°E / 23.5036; 40.8597) and a potential source of the now dried out Pishon River that used to flow 600 miles (970 km) north east to the Persian Gulf via the Wadi Al-Batin system. Archaeological research led by Farouk El-Baz of Boston University indicates that the river system, now prospectively known as the Kuwait River, was active 2500–3000 BC.^[3]

Due to the presence of two holy cities in Hejaz, the region went under numerous empires throughout its modern history. Hijaz was later at the centre of the Caliphate, before its capital was moved to Damascus. The region was then under the control of regional powers such as Egypt and the Ottoman Empire through much of its later history, after which the Hejaz had a brief period of political independence in the early 20th century.

In 1916, Sharif Hussein ibn Ali proclaimed himself king of an independent Hejaz, as a result of the Hussein-McMahon Correspondence. The ensuing Arab Revolt overthrew the Ottoman Empire. In 1924, however, ibn Ali's authority was usurped by Ibn Saud of the neighboring region of Nejd, uniting it into what became known as the Kingdom of Hijaz and Nejd and later the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

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  Flag of Ottoman Empire (1517–1916)

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  Flag of Kingdom of Hejaz (1916–1925)

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  Flag of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (1925–present)

People of Hejaz[link]

People of Hejaz, who feel particularly connected to the holy places of Mecca and Medina, have probably the most strongly articulated identity of any regional grouping in Saudi Arabia. Their place of origin affords them the feeling of being a chosen people and also provides them with special status in the eyes of other Muslims; but it also alienates them from the Saudi state, which invokes different narratives of the history of the Arabian Peninsula. Over the centuries, the inhabitants of Hejaz also created many rituals and ceremonies which further enhance their sense of superiority. Most of the official Salafi clerics look down on these rituals and in many instances consider them to be un-Islamic. Thus, they experienced tensions with people of Najd.^[4]

People of Hejaz has never fully accomadated to Saudi and Wahhabi rule. They have always considered themselves more cosmopolitan than the people of Najd. Since Hejaz, for centuries, was a part of the great empires of Islam from the Umayyads to the Ottomans.^[5]

Geography[link]

The region is located along the Red Sea Rift. The region is also known for its darker, more volcanic sand. Depending on the previous definition, Hejaz includes the high mountains of Sarawat which topographically separate Najd from Tehamah. Bdellium plants are also abundant in the Hijaz.

Cities[link]

See also[link]

	Middle East portal
	Saudi Arabia portal

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Hijaz

Notes[link]

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Pejman Azarmina (Persian: پژمان آذرمینا, born in 1973) is an Iranian-born New York-based physician, author, santour player, composer and coach.^[1] He started his career as a physician/executive editor in 1999 and in parallel worked as a researcher, concert musician and santour instructor.^[1] Azarmina has published 5 music albums, 10 books and several scientific papers (please see below). In 2005, Azarmina joined the pharmaceutical industry and currently works at Pfizer's headquarters in New York as a Medical Director. He also has a coaching practice in Midtown Manhattan with a focus on professional careers and relationships.^[1]

Early Life and Education[link]

Azarmina was born in Tehran, Iran; started studying the santour at age 11 with Master Faramarz Payvar (1933‒2009) and graduated from his private class after completing the ‘Advanced Repertoire for the Santour’ (Persian: ردیف چپ کوک) in 1994.^[2] His other music teachers include Hossein Dehlavi (music theory, harmony and songwriting) and Ahmad Pejman (composition and counterpoint).^[3]

Azarmina’s style of performance is perhaps one of the closest to that of late Master Payvar, yet his interpretation of Persian music is very lean, expressive, and contemporary.^[2]

Azarmina studied medicine at Tehran University of Medical Sciences (1992‒1999), completed a master's degree in Healthcare Management at University of Surrey (2003‒2005) and obtained a graduate certificate in Medical Informatics from Oregon Health & Science University (2007) and a certificate in coaching from New York University (2011).^[4]

Discography[link]

• 1994 Dialogue (Persian: گفتگو) [a collaborative album featuring all duets composed by Faramarz Payvar]
• 1996 Old Persian Dances (Persian: رنگهای هفت دستگاه), ASIN B002I51ARW
• 2000 Shabdiz (Persian: شبدیز)
• 2011 Rebellious Solitude UPC 884501559584, ASIN B005E8KXI2
• 2011 Persian Nostalgia UPC 884501559577, ASIN B005E8KUPI
• 2011 Shabdiz [remastered] UPC 885767798878, ASIN B005F9VP5U

Books[link]

• 1996 Common Medical Terms
• 2000 Old Persian Dances (Persian: رنگهای هفت دستگاه) ISBN 964-6409-42-3
• 2000 Shabdiz ISBN 964-5664-22-5
• 2000 Basic Epidemiology ISBN 964-456-675-0
• 2001 My Doctor (nervous system diseases) ISBN 964-456-555-X
• 2001 My Doctor (blood diseases and cancer) ISBN 964-456-554-1
• 2001 My Doctor (kidney diseases) ISBN 964-456-553-3
• 2001 My Doctor (heart diseases) ISBN 964-456-575-4
• 2001 My Doctor (joint and autoimmune diseases) ISBN 964-456-552-5
• 2001 My Doctor (infectious diseases) ISBN 964-456-556-8

Selected Scientific Papers[link]

• Azarmina P, Prestwich G, Rosenquist J, Singh D. Transferring disease management and health promotion programs to other countries: critical success factors. Health Promot Int. 2008 Dec;23(4):372-9. Epub 2008 Sep 22. PMID 18812326
• Azarmina P, Lewis J. Patient satisfaction with a nurse-led, telephone-based disease management service in Birmingham. J Telemed Telecare. 2007; 13(suppl 1):3-4
• Azarmina P, Wallace P. Remote interpretation in medical encounters: a systematic review. J Telemed Telecare. 2005;11(3):140-5. PMID 15901441
• Samuel M, Coombes JC, Miranda JJ, Melvin R, Young EJ, Azarmina P. Assessing computer skills in Tanzanian medical students: an elective experience. BMC Public Health. 2004 Aug 12;4:37. PMID 15306029
• Malekzadeh R, Mokri A, Azarmina P. Medical science and research in Iran. Arch Irn Med 2001; 4(1): 27-39.

External links[link]

• Official Website of Pejman Azarmina

• Artist Page on CD Baby

• Author Page on Amazon.com

• Music Videos on YouTube

• Professional Profile on LinkedIn

References[link]