Battle of Sabilla

Battle of Sabilla
Part of the Ikhwan revolt
Date29–31 March 1929
Location
Sabilla
Result Saudi victory
Belligerents
 Ikhwan

 Hejaz and Nejd

Aerially supported by:  Royal Air Force
Commanders and leaders
Ikhwan Sultan bin Bajad
Ikhwan Faisal al-Duwaish (WIA)		 Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd Abdulaziz al-Saud
Strength
Between 8,000[1]-10,000[2] 30,000[2]
Casualties and losses
Between 500[2]-1,000[3] 200[2]

The Battle of Sabilla (29–31 March 1929)[4] was the main battle of the Ikhwan revolt in northern Arabia between the rebellious Ikhwan forces and the army of Abdulaziz al-Saud. It was the last tribal uprising in Arabia.[5] It was also the last major battle in which one side rode camels,[6] as the Ikhwan emphasized radical conservatism and shunned technological modernization.

The rebellious, but technologically mediocre, Ikhwan were decisively defeated by the Saudi forces, which had machine-guns and cavalry. The battle occurred in Sabilla, located twenty miles east of Al-Zulfi.[7] The Saudi forces were also supported by the British Royal Air Force which bombed the Ikhwan forces near Jordan and Kuwait.[8] It would be one of the last major battles in Arabia utilizing camel riders.[9]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Tenney was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c d University of Central Arkansas, Middle East/North Africa/Persian Gulf Region[permanent dead link]
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Thistle was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Ibn Sa'ud's defeat of the Ikhwan". Encyclopædia Britannica.
  5. ^ Sebastian Maisel (2014). "The New Rise of Tribalism in Saudi Arabia". Nomadic Peoples. 18 (2): 100–122. doi:10.3197/np.2014.180207. JSTOR 43123948.
  6. ^ "Battle of Sibilla". King Abdul Aziz (Ibn Saud) Information Resource. Archived from the original on 20 August 2011. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
  7. ^ Ali Ahmed Al Sultan (1988). Class structure in Saudi Arabia (PhD thesis). Michigan State University. p. 10. ProQuest 303682959. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
  8. ^ "FDR and Ibn Saud, 1744 to 1953" (PDF). Ibn Saud. Brookings Institution. 2017.
  9. ^ McNabb, James Brian (2017). A Military History of the Modern Middle East. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. pp. 82–83. ISBN 9781440829642. Retrieved 26 April 2022.