Battle of Al-Safra

Overview

The Battle of Al-Safra in late 1811, was an early major battle in the First Campaign of the Ottoman–Wahhabi war. It occurred when Saud bin Abdulaziz's Wahhabi troops engaged Tusun Pasha's Ottoman force while it was travelling through a Wadi attempting to reach Medina. It was a resounding Ottoman defeat and they were forced to retreat.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

Al-Safra was an early major engagement of the First Campaign of the Egyptian–Wahhabi War, occurring as Ottoman forces under Tusun Pasha attempted to advance through a wadi toward Medina. The Wahhabi force under Saud bin Abdulaziz, numerically superior at roughly 18,000 against an Ottoman strength estimated between 8,000 and 14,000, inflicted casualties of 4,500 to 5,000 on the Ottoman side and forced a retreat. The defeat demonstrated that the initial Ottoman push into the Hejaz faced a capable and well-positioned opponent, checking the campaign's momentum at an early stage and underscoring the difficulty of projecting force through the region's constrained geography.

Tactics

Forces & casualties

Commanders (5)