Husein ibn Ali (ca. 1854-1931) was an Arab nationalist and political leader who proclaimed the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire and became king of the Hejaz.

Born in Istanbul, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, Husein ibn Ali was a member of an important Arab family which claimed descent from the prophet Mohammed and the hereditary position of Meccan leadership. Following the Young Turk Revolution in 1908, the new Ottoman government named Husein to the traditional family position of sharif of Mecca, the governor and protector of the Islamic holy places. When, on the eve of World War I, Arabs and Turks were unable to reach a proper political balance for the multinational Ottoman Empire, Husein developed ambitions of his own for more extensive authority in Arab affairs and for Arab home rule.

His son Abdullah had discretely contacted British officials in Egypt as to Great Britain's attitude...