Siege of Medina
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, a persistent defense that lasted even after the war had ended.
