Ottoman–Saudi War

Ottoman Saudi War
Date Early 1811 – 1818 Location Arabian Peninsula Result Complete Ottoman victory, end of the First Saudi State.
Belligerents
First Saudi State	Ottoman Empire
Commanders
Saud Al-Kabeer, Abdullah I	Tusun Pasha, Muhammad Ali Pasha, Ibrahim Pasha
Strength
20,000	50,000
Casualties and losses
11,000 dead, 3,000 wounded, execution of Abdullah I, Destruction of Diriyah	Unknown

The Ottoman–Saudi War, also known as the Egyptian–Wahhabi War, was fought in 1811–1818 between Egypt under the reign of Muhammad Ali Pasha (nominally under Ottoman rule) and the army of the First Saudi State.

The Wahhabi movement was part of a revival of orthodoxy of Islam that would lead to the first Saudi State, and its crushing by the Ottoman empire’s Egyptian viceroy Muhammad Ali Pasha.

Muhammad b. ‘Abd al-Wahhab and the amir Muhammad b. Su’ud launched their campaign to reform islam in Arabia from their power-base in Diriyah. By 1805, the Wahhabis controlled Mecca and Medina, had attacked Karbala^{[citation needed]} and the Imam Husayn Shrine^{[citation needed]}. The Wahhabi’s also attacked Ottoman trade caravans which interrupted the Ottoman finances.^[1] The Saudi amir denounced the Ottoman sultan and called into question the validity of his claim to be caliph and guardian of the sanctuaries of the Hejaz^[2] and when the Ottoman empire ordered the upstart Muhammad ‘Ali, viceroy of Egypt, to fight the Wahhabis. The Ottoman empire was suspicious of Muhammed Ali’s ambition, and thought that by ordering Ali against the Wahhabis, the defeat of either would be beneficial.^[1]

Muhammad ‘Ali was ordered to crush the state as early as December 1807 by Sultan Mustafa IV, however internal strife within Egypt prevented him from giving full attention to the Wahhabis. The Egyptians weren’t able to recapture the Holy Cities until 1811.^[2]

However, it would take until September 1818 that the Wahhabi state would end with the surrendering of the leaders. Ibrahim Pasha, Muhammad ‘Ali’s son, had taken over the campaign in 1817. Gaining the support of the volatile Arabian tribes by skillful diplomacy and lavish gifts, he advanced into central Arabia to occupy the towns of Unaizah and Buraidah. Joined now by most of the principal tribes, he appeared before the Saudi capital Diriyah in April 1818. With their march to Diriyah plagued by Wahhabi attacks, they arrived in Diriyah in April 1818. It took until September for the Wahhabis to surrender, in part due to Ibrahim’s poorly trained army. Diriyah was destroyed on June 1819, and Egyptian garrisons were posted in the principal towns. The head of the Wahhabi state, Amir ‘Abd Allah, was sent to Istanbul to be executed.^[2]

Amir Abd Allah, as head of the Wahhabi state, was sent for execution to Istanbul, although most of the political leaders were treated pretty well. The empire was far more harsh with the religious leaders that inspired the Wahhabi movement. The execution of Sulayman b. ‘Abd Allah and other religious notables reflects the resentment of these reformist views. Religious leaders were thought to be uncompromising in their beliefs and therefore a much bigger threat than political leaders.^[2]

See also

• Nejd Expedition
• Siege of Diriyah
• Egypt under Muhammad Ali and his successors
• History of Saudi Arabia
• History of the Ottoman Empire

Sources