Battle of Mecca | |||||||
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Part of Abbasid decline (861–940) | |||||||
Illustration of Mecca in the 18th century during the pilgrimage season. The battle took place in the hollow of Mecca, in between the surrounding mountains | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Abbasid Caliphate Saffarids | Tulunids | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Ja'far ibn al-Baghamardi |
Muhammad ibn al-Sarraj Al-Ghanawi | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
More than 750 | More than 2,470 |
The Battle of Mecca was an armed skirmish fought in 883 between the forces of the Tulunid ruler of Egypt and Syria, Ahmad ibn Tulun, and those of the Abbasid Caliphate, supported by the Saffarid emirate. The battle took place at Mecca in western Arabia and was fought to determine who would gain guardianship over the city during the hajj. It ended with an Abbasid-Saffarid victory and the expulsion of the Tulunid forces from Mecca.