Siege of Diriyah


The Destruction of Diriyah took place in late 1818 at the end of the Wahhabi War of 1811–18 during the Nejd Expedition. When the forces of Ibrahim Pasha had reached Diriyah, Abdullah I tried to defend his capital with an outnumbered army. After a siege of several months Abdullah surrendered to the Ottomans on September 9 with the promise of the safety of the civilian population of Diriyah which was breached by Ibrahim Pasha and the town was destroyed. Abdullah was imprisoned and with his treasurer and secretary was taken to Cairo where he met Mohammed Ali. Later Abdullah was sent to Istanbul, where, in spite of Ibrahim's promise of safety and of Mohammad Ali's intercession in his favor, he was put to death after a show trial. At the end of the year 1819 Ibrahim returned to Cairo, having subdued all opposition in the Arabian Peninsula, ending the First Saudi state.