@kaboos597: based Muhammad The Ottoman–Wahhabi War was one of the most significant conflicts in the history of the Arabian Peninsula during the early nineteenth century. It was fought between the Ottoman Empire, acting primarily through its powerful governor Muhammad Ali Pasha, and the First Saudi State, whose rulers were closely allied with the Wahhabi religious movement founded by Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab. The war began after Wahhabi-Saudi forces expanded across central Arabia and seized the holy cities of Mecca and Medina in 1803–1805. Control of Islam's holiest cities was a direct challenge to the Ottoman sultan, who claimed the title of Caliph and protector of the holy places. The Wahhabi authorities also introduced strict religious reforms and destroyed many tombs and shrines that they considered contrary to their interpretation of Islam, provoking outrage across much of the Muslim world. Unable to launch a major campaign from Istanbul because of wars elsewhere, the Ottoman government entrusted Muhammad Ali Pasha of Egypt with restoring imperial authority. Beginning in 1811, he organized a large military expedition equipped with infantry, cavalry, artillery, and naval support. His son Tusun Pasha led the first campaigns, successfully recapturing Medina and later Mecca after fierce fighting. Although the Wahhabi-Saudi forces resisted strongly and won several engagements in the Arabian interior, the Ottoman-Egyptian army gradually secured the Hijaz and cut off the Saudi state from the Red Sea. The decisive phase of the war began in 1816 when Muhammad Ali's other son, Ibrahim Pasha, assumed command. Ibrahim Pasha advanced methodically across central Arabia, capturing fortified towns one by one while defeating Saudi forces in a series of battles. His campaign relied on disciplined infantry, powerful artillery, and alliances with local tribes opposed to Saudi rule. By 1818, the Ottoman-Egyptian army surrounded the Saudi capital of Diriyah. After a prolonged siege marked by heavy bombardment and shortages, the city surrendered. Ibrahim Pasha ordered much of Diriyah demolished to prevent it from becoming a center of renewed resistance. Following the fall of Diriyah, the ruler of the First Saudi State, Abdullah bin Saud, was taken prisoner and sent first to Cairo and then to Istanbul, where he was executed in 1819. The destruction of Diriyah effectively ended the First Saudi State and temporarily restored Ottoman authority over Arabia and the holy cities. However, Wahhabi influence and the Saudi family survived, and within a few years the Second Saudi State emerged in central Arabia. Although the Ottomans won the war militarily, they did not permanently eliminate the movement. The conflict reshaped the political and religious landscape of Arabia, strengthened Muhammad Ali Pasha's military reputation, and marked an important chapter in the long struggle for control of the Arabian Peninsula and the Islamic holy cities

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Wednesday 08 July 2026 18:50:20 GMT