ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Sharifate of Mecca

So, there was a long time ago in a place called Mecca. Mecca was a city in a big country called Saudi Arabia. In Mecca, there were some people called Sharifs who were kind of like leaders. They were important because they were the guardians of the Kaaba, which was a very special building where people went to pray.

The Sharifs of Mecca were very powerful and they had a lot of control over the people who lived there. They were in charge of things like making sure everyone followed the rules, keeping the peace, and protecting the Kaaba.

For a long time, the Sharifs of Mecca were independent rulers. This means that they didn't have to listen to anyone else and they could make their own decisions about how to run things in Mecca.

But then, something changed. In the early 1900s, the Ottoman Empire (which was a big empire that ruled over a lot of different countries) started to lose power. This meant that the Sharifs of Mecca saw an opportunity to gain more power for themselves.

In 1916, the Sharifs of Mecca made an agreement with the British government. The agreement said that the British would help the Sharifs of Mecca fight against the Ottoman Empire, and in return, the Sharifs of Mecca would get more power and control over the region.

The Sharifs of Mecca were successful in their fight against the Ottoman Empire, and in 1924, they declared themselves the rulers of a new country called the Kingdom of Hejaz. This included Mecca, Medina, and the surrounding areas.

However, their reign didn't last long. In 1932, the Kingdom of Hejaz was merged with another nearby country and it became what is now known as Saudi Arabia. The Sharifs of Mecca lost their power and their rule over the region came to an end.

So, in simple terms, the Sharifate of Mecca was a time when the Sharifs of Mecca were in charge of the city and had a lot of power. They were able to make their own decisions and rule the area independently. Eventually, they lost their power and became part of a bigger country.