This chapter discusses the history of the Saudi state's management of the Hajj, from the first Saudi state takeover of Mecca and Medina until the present day. It traces the development of Saudi internal and foreign policy with regard to the Hajj, first examining the measures Imam Saud (Imām Saʿūd ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz, d. 1814) took to secure Hijāz and ensuing tensions with other Muslim nations. It follows the evolution of Saudi policy on the Hajj through the reign of Ibn Saud (King ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz, r. 1926–1953) to the present time. The chapter also looks at internal and international Hajj-related conflicts, many of which involve clashes between foreign cultural practices and Salafi beliefs.

IMAM SAUD'S HAJJ POLICIES

Under the rule of Imam Saud, the first Saudi state managed the Hajj for seven seasons, from 1807–1812. In previous decades, the Saudis suffered from discriminatory policy on the part of the Ottomans and the Sharīfs. In 1749 or 1750, for example, Sharif Masʿūd ibn Saʿīd (r. 1732–1752) jailed some Najdi pilgrims and ordered the judge of Mecca to pronounce them unbelievers, and Najdis were thereafter banned from performing Hajj. This ban lasted until the season of 1799, when Imam Saud and Sharif Ghālib signed a treaty. With the exception of a few years when their pilgrimage was contingent on the payment of heavy taxes to the Sharifs of Mecca, the Najdis were banned from performing Hajj for almost a half century. After seizing Mecca and Medina, Saud performed the Hajj each year in order to personally supervise its administration. During his short period of control, Imam Saud made major changes in the management of the Hajj and the holy places. His policies were rather controversial.