page_title: Occupation of Ma'an
section_title: Saudi claim
hierarchical_section_title: Occupation of Ma'an / The claims / Saudi claim
caption_attribution_description: English: From Amir Abdullah: Status and and Future of Trans Jordan (CO 537/1842) in 1946 https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C1250367
context_page_description: The Occupation of Ma'an was the post-World War I occupation of the Sanjak of Ma'an, which straddled the regions of Syria and Arabia, by members of the Hashemite family, who came to power in various regions of the Near East and Arabia; they were King Hussein in the Kingdom of Hejaz, Emir Faisal representing the Arab government in Damascus and Abdullah, who was to become Emir of Transjordan. The region includes the governorates of Ma'an and Aqaba, today in Jordan, as well as the area which was to become a large part of the Israeli Southern District, including the city of Eilat.
  The matter developed into an international dispute between the modern states of Saudi Arabia and Jordan, and was also relevant to the inclusion of the Negev region into what became the modern country state of Israel. Dr. Benjamin Shwadran, in his history of Jordan, described the matter as "one of the most confused chapters in that country's history"; in question was to whom did the Ma'an sanjak legitimately belong.
context_section_description: The matter was discussed in the period of negotiations that led to the May 1927 Treaty of Jeddah. However, the British government dropped their insistence that Ibn Saud formally recognize Aqaba and Ma'an as part of Transjordan; instead this was dealt with via a separate exchange of letters, between 19-21 May 1927, in which Clayton stated the British position and Ibn Saud agreed to respect the status quo.
  A January 12, 1940 memorandum prepared by the Eastern Department of the Foreign Office, entitled "Ibn Saud's claim to Akaba and Maan" discussed: 
  (1) The historical and administrative position of Akaba and Maan in the Ottoman empire.
  (2) The manner in which question of sovereignty has been affected by conquest, occupation and administration, and by certain measures of British and allied policy, during and since the war of 1914-18.
  The Saudi Arabia claim to Aqaba and Ma'an was finally settled and the border delineated in 1965.
caption: 1942 British illustration of the Saudi claims
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