Italy and Arabia from the 1910s to the Second World War

This paper deals with the historical background of relations developing between Italy and Arabia from the 1910s to the second World War. the Italo-Ottoman war in Yemen in 1911-12, the Italian alliance with the Idrisid Emirate in Asir, the establishment of Italo-Hijazi relations, and the Italian colonial policy regarding the Islamic pilgrimage (hajj).The rhetoric of colonial and fascist times presenting Italy as a “Muslim power”, aiming to regulate the hajj of Muslims going from Italian colonies to Mecca, and the parallel evolving cultural tradition of Arab and Islamic studies in Italy are aspects that will be investigated in this work. New initiatives and protagonists emerge, adding some interesting pieces to a puzzle representing pages of history that were marked by a strategy developed by the Kingdom of Italy both during the liberal era and the following fascist one. Such a strategy aimed at establishing and strengthening relations in those Arabian territories that were not under British control. The Emirate of Asir, the Zaydi Shi‘a Imamate of Yemen - Mutawakkilite Kingdom since 1918 - al-Hijaz, and then Saudi Arabia are considered in relation to specific aspects and initiatives connecting their authorities to Italy in those years.