Background
In September 1817,Preparations
Ottomans
Having captured the fort ofSaudis
Siege
Battle of 'Alab
After Ibrahim Pasha camped on the outskirts of Diriyah, he moved with some of his soldiers on horses and some cannons to choose the positions he wanted to land at Diriyah until he reached the Al-'Alab area, at the top of Diriyah, where Ibrahim Pasha dug barricades opposite the barricades of Abdullah, and Abdullah began firing from his cannons resulting in a fierce battle for ten days. In the tenth day the Saudi forces rallied their men and prevented them from bombarding the northern walls.Battle of Ghubaira'
Ibrahim Pasha then moved to Ghubaira's walls, where at night he had some cavalry and stationed them next to Ghubaria's barricades and attacked them from behind, and in the dawn he sent reinforcements to the cavalry. The Ottomans killed 100 of the enemy, and the Saudis retreated back but regrouped and repulsed the Ottomans, with losses on the Ottoman side.Battle of Samha
The northern section of the walls, about a month after the siege, was where the Saudis were defeated and moved away from their barricades because some people from the city went out to Ibrahim Pasha and told him of the weakness in the fort. Ibrahim Pasha gathered the cavalry and attacked them on some of the barricades, as guided by those who joined them from the people of Diriyah, so he stormed the shield of Omar bin Saud, the barricade of his brother Faisal bin Saud the Great in Samha, and others. The tower protecting Omar's barricade, including its cannons, also fell, and they retreated. Soon after this, the barricades in the north and south fell to the Ottomans.Assault on Assalmani, Balida, Qulaiqel, and 'Arqa
After their withdrawal from Samha, the Saudis engaged with the Turks on the walls of Assalmani; a fierce battle ended with the Ottomans beaten back from the walls. The Ottomans attempted to attack the south, and once again a fierce battle ensued in which both sides suffered casualties. With the battle raging from afternoon till evening, another assault happened in Balida from noon till evening when the Ottomans succeeded in capturing the barricades of Balida, but the Saudis regrouped and beaten the Ottomans back. Another assault was done by the Ottomans on Qulaiqel, who was once again beaten back.Othman bin Bishr, p. 410 Ibrahim Pasha then attacked the south village in a place called "Arqa." The Ottomans succeeded in capturing the village and killing 30 Saudis who fled to the walls. The Ottomans then burned the village.Fire on the Ottoman camp
The siege lasted for more than two months. On June 21, 1818, a storm blew over the Ottoman camp and blew out a fire that was lit by one of the soldiers that was close to the gunpowder storage. The fire spread to the storage and blew it up, wiping out half of the Ottoman's powder and ammunition, which caused panic in the camp. Ibrahim was then forced to ask for reinforcements from Ottoman bases that were conquered by the enemy, such as Shaqraa, Unaizah, Mecca, and Medina. The Saudis planned to attack the disorderly camp, but that didn't happen.Assault on Arrafia'
Another assault was launched on Arrafia's eastern side of the city, and with a cavalry force, he succeeded in capturing the barricades on the eastern side. However, the Saudis launched a sortie that repulsed the Ottomans, but Ibrahim again charged, and a fierce battle ensued from morning till noon in which both sides suffered heavy losses.Assault on all sides
In September, Ibrahim began preparing a full assault on every side of the wall with his newly arrived reinforcements; he sent Ali Uzun to the south, and Ibrahim began preparing the artillery in the north and began assaulting the walls from the north and south; the Ottomans assaulted on Mashrafa's side; the Ottomans succeeded in capturing their barricades; both sides suffered heavy losses; the Saudis were forced to disperse their forces on all sides; the Ottomans partly entered the walls and nearly conquered the fort; however, once again they were beaten back.Surrender of Diriyah
The siege had lasted for five months. Abdullah knew he wouldn't last long after he suffered heavy losses and supplies began to wane, so he asked for surrender on September 9. Ibrahim was delighted with this and ordered the fight to stop. Abdullah negotiated with Ibrahim to cede Diriyah and nearby cities to the Ottomans in exchange for the safety of the Saudis and that Abdullah would travel toWar casualties
The Ottomans suffered 1,500 deaths during the siege, and the Saudis lost around 1,300.Aftermath
Destruction of Diriyah and death of Abdullah bin Saud
Muhammad Ali broke the treaty between Ibrahim and Abdullah and ordered the city to be destroyed with its walls and houses and burned to the ground.Abd al-Rahman al-Rafai, p. 151 Ibrahim Pasha's troops plundered Diriyah and massacred several Saudi ulama. Ibrahim pasha showed a harsh attitude towards the Saudis. He ordered Abdullah to prepare for the journey to Istanbul, 400 men escorted him to Cairo where Muhammad Ali kindly received him, two days later he was hurried off to Istanbul guarded by a detachment of Tartars.Winder, R.B. (1965)References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Diriyah Battles of the Wahhabi war Sieges involving the Ottoman Empire Battles involving Ottoman Egypt Conflicts in 1818 April 1818 1810s battles