Siege of Medina

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Siege of Medina
Part of Arab Revolt of the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I
Date 10 June 1916 – 10 January 1919 Location Medina, Hejaz Vilayet, Ottoman Empire Result Hejazi victory
Belligerents
Hejaz	Ottoman Empire
Commanders and leaders
Faisal bin Hussein Abdullah bin Hussein Ali bin Hussein	Fahreddin Pasha
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. The persistent defense that lasted even after the war had ended, was much celebrated as a heroic struggle to preserve the Caliphate and Islamic unity.^{[citation needed]}