ORDER OF BATTLE // January 1, 1812
Battle of Al-Safra
Estimated force strength by side, with confidence labels per surviving record.
Forces engaged
2 sides catalogued · combined 26,000–32,000 estimated
Ottoman Empire
8,000–14,000
Medium-confidence figure
Emirate of Diriyah
18,000
Medium-confidence figure
Battle context
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.
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