Siege of Medina

Siege of Medina
Part of Arab Revolt of the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I
Date10 June 1916 – 10 January 1919
Location
Result Hejazi victory
Belligerents
Hejaz Ottoman Empire
Commanders and leaders
Faisal bin Hussein
Abdullah bin Hussein
Ali bin Hussein
Fahreddin Pasha Surrendered
Strength
30,000 (1916)[1]
50,000 (1918)[2]
3,000 (1916)[3]
50,000 (1918)[4]
Casualties and losses
Unknown but heavy 8,000 evacuated to Egypt[4]

The siege of Medina lasted from 10 June 1916 to 10 January 1919, when Hejazi Arab rebels surrounded the Islamic holy city, which was then under the control of the Ottoman Empire.

The Ottoman Empire joined the war on the side of the Central Powers under the leadership of the Ottoman Sultan, Mehmed V. In an attempt to weaken the Ottomans, the Allies provoked an Arab Revolt within the empire led by Sharif Hussein bin Ali of Mecca.

Sharif Hussein, supported by British and French agents, occupied Mecca and later besieged Medina. The second holiest city in Islam was then guarded by an Ottoman battalion led by Fahreddin Pasha, who resisted for two years and seven months, a persistent defense that lasted even after the war had ended.

  1. ^ ^ Spencer C. Tucker, Arab Revolt (1916-1918) 16 Nisan 2014 tarihinde Wayback Machine sitesinde arşivlendi., The Encyclopedia of World War I, ABC-CLIO, 2005, ISBN 1851094202, page 117.
  2. ^ ^ Mehmet Bahadir Dördüncü, Mecca-Medina: the Yıldız albums of Sultan Abdülhamid II, Tughra Books, 2006, ISBN 1597840548, page 29
  3. ^ ^ Polly a. Mohs, Military Intelligence and the Arab Revolt: The first modern intelligence war, Routledge, ISBN 1134192541, page 40
  4. ^ a b Süleyman Beyoğlu, The end broken point of Turkish – Arabian relations: The evacuation of Medine, Atatürk Atatürk Research Centre Journal (Number 78, Edition: XXVI, November 2010) (in Turkish)