The Sharif of Mecca — sometimes the Sheriff of Makkah, with many other variant spellings — was the traditional steward of the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, ruling over the two cities and the surrounding region. The sharif was charged with protecting the cities and ensuring the Hadj was safe and orderly. Sharif is an Arab tribal title given to those to serve as the protector of the tribe and all tribal assets, property, land, wells etc.
The position was held in the Hashemite family for its entire existence. The term sharif refers to descendents of Muhammad's son-in-law Hazrat Ali's eldest son, Al-Hassan , which included one branch of the Hashemites.
The first Hashemite Sharif of Mecca was appointed in 1201, and the family held that position for over 700 years. In 1517 the sharif acknowledged the supremacy of the Ottoman Caliph, but remained largely independent.
The sharifate finally came to an end with the rule of Al-Hussein bin Ali who revolted against the Ottoman Empire in the Arab Revolt during WWI. The empire was defeated and the Hashemites were given control over Iraq and Transjordan. In 1924, however, ibn Saud conquered the Hijaz and expelled the Hashemites from their traditional domain.
Since then the ibn Saud family continue to rule Saudi Arabia and claim to have taken over the role of the sharifs in protecting the holy cities. The Saud family cannot claim the sharif title, however, as they are not descendents of Al-Hassan.
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