Seizure of the Great Mosque of Mecca Smoke rising from the Great Mosque of Mecca during the November 20, 1979, seizure of the mosque by militants. (more) seizure of the Great Mosque of Mecca Ask the Chatbot a Question More Actions Print Cite verifiedCite While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Select Citation Style MLA APA Chicago Manual of Style Copy Citation Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/event/seizure-of-the-Great-Mosque-of-Mecca Feedback Feedback Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Feedback Type Select a type (Required) Factual Correction Spelling/Grammar Correction Link Correction Additional Information Other Your Feedback Submit Feedback Thank you for your feedback Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

　　External Websites Ask the Chatbot a Question Written by Written by Fid Backhouse and others Fid Backhouse is one of several contributors to 501 Most Devastating Disasters. Their work appears in Encyclopaedia Britannica as part of a joint publishing agreement with the publisher of 501... Fid Backhouse and others Fact-checked by Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Last Updated: Sep. 26, 2025 •Article History Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask the Chatbot seizure of the Great Mosque of Mecca, capture of the Great Mosque of Mecca by hundreds of militants carrying out a rebellion against the Saudi royal family. The mosque was seized on November 20, 1979, and retaken by Saudi forces after a two-week siege.

　　In the Islamic calendar it was Muḥarram, the first day of the year 1400 AH, a particularly holy time, and tens of thousands of the faithful were in the courtyard of the Great Mosque for dawn prayers. Several hundred among them suddenly produced automatic weapons from under their robes. They quickly overwhelmed the guards, taking up positions themselves, and the leader, Juhayman al-Otaybi, publicly proclaimed Muhammad ibn Abdullah al-Qahtani was the awaited mahdī (a messianic figure). Within minutes the militants began herding hostages into the mosque. They sought an uprising against the ruling Saud dynasty, decrying the growing secularism and ostentation, as well as relations with the West, that were occurring as a result the country’s increasing oil wealth and that the militants believed were a betrayal of Islam.

　　The battle to retake the Great Mosque began almost immediately and lasted for two weeks. After receiving permission from the ʿulamāʾ for the use of violence, usually forbidden in the mosque, forces from the country’s national guard and army, as well as Pakistani and, eventually, French special forces, laid siege to the mosque with firepower and tear gas. After frontal assaults were repeatedly repulsed, the military began sending tear gas throughout the catacombs in an effort to force the militants out of the mosque.

　　By the time the siege ended, on December 4, hundreds of hostages, militants, and military members had been killed. Among the dead was the man proclaimed as the mahdī. In addition, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini of Iran had quickly and incorrectly blamed the United States and Israel for the seizure, leading to attacks on U.S. embassies and anti-American demonstrations in several Muslim countries.

　　On January 9, 1980, the 63 adult insurgents who had surrendered were publicly executed, beginning with Juhayman al-Otaybi. However, within the next few months the government of Saudi Arabia noticeably ceased efforts toward Westernization and instead embraced a more austere and conservative approach to Islam.

　　Fid Backhouse and others