Egyptian Campaign on Diriyah

The Egyptian Campaign on Diriyah was a military campaign directed at the First Saudi State. It began with a commission from the Ottoman Sultan to Muhammad Ali, who assumed the rule of Egypt in 1220 AH, to march troops against the Saudis, and the phase that reached Diriyah was led by Ibrahim Pasha. [1]

In 1226 AH the formation of the forces that marched to fight the Saudis was decided, and the campaign's forces reached Diriyah in 1233 AH, after uninterrupted wars that lasted nearly seven years and ended with its fall in 1233 AH/1818 CE. [1][4]

Muhammad Ali assumed the rule of Egypt in 1220 AH, and a commission was issued to him by the Ottoman Sultan to march troops against the Saudis. [1]

In 1226 AH, information was recorded about the forces that were later decided to march to fight the Saudis, which included Arnauts, Turks, Sujman, and the followers and aghas of Tusun Pasha. [1]

The campaign's soldiers came from different peoples, and the Egyptians who took part in it were no more than a small handful of craftsmen. [1]

In Dhu al-Qi'dah 1226 AH, the army of Tusun Pasha suffered a defeat at Al-Jadidah, and its soldiers fled to the ships at Al-Buraik, Yanbu al-Bahr, and Al-Muwailih. [1]

In 1228 AH/1813 CE, the First Battle of Al-Hanakiyah took place around Al-Hanakiyah Fortress, northwest of Madinah, between the forces of the First Saudi State and the army of the Ottoman State. [6]

Tusun Pasha and his troops entered Makkah in 1228 AH. [1] In 1229 AH, numerous troops arrived from Egypt by sea and took control of Al-Qunfudhah, then Tami bin Shu'aib attacked them and defeated them there. [1]

There were fortifications and military defenses in Diriyah that stood firm against the attacks of the forces of Ibrahim Pasha. [3] Imam Abdullah bin Saud assumed rule after his father during the period 1229–1233 AH/1814–1818 CE. [5]

The Imam accepted the reality of the situation and went out to Ibrahim Pasha in his camp after he had made every attempt to repel the successive attacks on his country, coming forward as a ransom for the land and the sanctity of its people, and surrendered himself to him. [2]

Diriyah fell in 1233 AH/1818 CE after uninterrupted wars that lasted nearly seven years, and the military operations covered Diriyah and most of the villages of Najd. [4]

After the surrender, the Imam and his men were sent to Egypt, and they were marched along a route that passes through towering mountains. [2]

The earliest to record the accounts of the war of Diriyah was Ibn Bishr, who completed writing his history in 1270 AH, that is, thirty-seven years after the fall of Diriyah in 1233 AH. [2]

In 1234 AH/1819 CE, one year after the fall of Diriyah, the British traveler George Forster Sadlier visited the regions of the First Saudi State, and recorded that the people of Diriyah had taken to living outside it, near the palm orchards close to Manfuhah. [7]

After the fall of the First Saudi State, Imam Turki bin Abdullah continued his activity for seven years until he drove the Ottoman garrisons out of Najd, and he entered Riyadh in 1240 AH/1824 CE. [4]

Q: What is the Egyptian Campaign on Diriyah? A: It was a military campaign directed at the First Saudi State, which began with a commission from the Ottoman Sultan to Muhammad Ali, who assumed the rule of Egypt in 1220 AH, and its forces reached Diriyah in 1233 AH. [1][4]

Q: Who led the Egyptian Campaign? A: The commission was issued to Muhammad Ali, who assumed the rule of Egypt in 1220 AH, and Ibrahim Pasha led the phase in which the campaign reached Diriyah in 1233 AH. [1]

Q: Who was the Imam of the First Saudi State at the fall of Diriyah? A: Imam Abdullah bin Saud, who assumed rule after his father during the period 1229–1233 AH/1814–1818 CE, and accepted the reality of the situation after he had made every attempt to repel the successive attacks on his country. [2][5]

Q: What followed the fall of Diriyah? A: The Imam and his men were sent to Egypt; then Imam Turki bin Abdullah continued his activity for seven years until he drove the Ottoman garrisons out of Najd and entered Riyadh in 1240 AH/1824 CE. [2][4]

Q: How were the accounts of the war of Diriyah preserved? A: The earliest to record them was Ibn Bishr, who completed his history in 1270 AH, that is, thirty-seven years after the fall of Diriyah in 1233 AH. [2]