Hejaz, a province of Saudi Arabia and a former vilayet of the Ottoman Empire, occupies an 800 mile-long (1,287 km.) coastal strip between Nejd and the Red Sea. Population: 1.4 million. Hejaz contains the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. The economy is based on pilgrimage spending, light industries, limited agriculture production and wealth generated by the oil deposits of Saudi Arabia. ,The province was a Turkish dependency until freed in World War I. Husain Ibn Ali, Amir of Mecca, opposed the Turkish control and, with the aid of Lawrence of Arabia, wrested mush of Hejaz from the Turks and in 1916 assumed the title of King of Hejaz. Ibn Sa?ud of Nejd conquered Hejaz in 1925, and in 1932 combined it with Nejd and other provinces under his control to form the Kingdom of Arabia.,, Monetary System:,,, ,1 Pound (Riyal) = 20 Ghirsh (Piastres),,