How the 1979 siege of Makkah unfolded

Makkah’s Grand Mosque under attack in November 1979. Armed men seized the mosque, locking 100,000 pilgrims and residents inside. (AFP)
Updated 20 November 2019
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How the 1979 siege of Makkah unfolded

JEDDAH: Throughout October 1979, close to a million Muslims from around the world had flooded into Makkah for Hajj, the pilgrimage to the spiritual heart of Islam that every physically and financially able believer is obliged to complete at least once in their lifetime.

On the morning of Nov. 20, the call to the first prayer summoned pilgrims from far and wide to the courtyard of the Grand Mosque.

Some were locals, others were visitors who had finished their Hajj pilgrimage two weeks earlier and delayed their departure to take part in this once-in-a-lifetime event, before bidding farewell to a place that for centuries had seen countless millions like them come and go.

It was a little after 5:15 a.m. The first shots rang out across the courtyard moments after the imam, 55-year-old Sheikh Mohammed Al-Subayil, had finished the fajr, the first prayer of the day.

Worshippers stood side by side, forming a circular formation around the Kaaba, as they welcomed the dawn of the new Islamic century. But among their number was a group of fanatics the like of which the Holy Mosque had never seen before.

In the courtyard behind where Al-Subayil stood, the siege of the mosque claimed its first victims — two unarmed police guards gunned down at their posts.

As chaos ensued and the worshippers began to disperse, some managing to flee from the mosque in the confusion before the gates were closed by the attackers, three armed men pushed their way through the crowd toward the imam.

One, dressed in a short, ragged traditional dress, took the microphone and began issuing orders over the mosque’s loudspeakers.  “Get on the minarets! Position the snipers! Close the doors! Deploy the guards! Position the guards and sentinels in front of the doors!”

It was the ring-leader, Juhayman Al-Otaibi. Then he handed the microphone to another man, and what he had to say shocked the imam and all who heard it.

The Mahdi, in the shape of Mohammed bin Abdullah Al-Qahtani, had arrived to wipe the world of its evils and was here among the armed men who had seized the mosque and were now locking inside 100,000 pilgrims and residents. The speaker rejected the authority of the Saudi royal family and the ulema, the senior theologians of Islam, as illegitimate. Now everyone present, he said, must come forward to swear the oath of allegiance to the Mahdi.

The man himself, carrying an automatic weapon, stepped forward. He stood near the Kaaba, as the false prophecy adopted by the renegades had predicted the Mahdi would. Juhayman’s men took it in turns to swear their allegiance and then began forcing the worshippers to follow suit.

In the confusion, the imam blended into the crowd and made his way to his office in the mosque. There, he called Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Al-Rashid, president of the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques, and told him what was going on — and held the phone up so he could hear the gunshots that were ringing out.

At first, the official response to the wholly unanticipated outrage was confused.

“When these individuals took over the mosque, the first people to deal with them were the mosque police, who at that time were simply unarmed, and there to direct people where to go rather than to enforce security,” said Prince Turki, the then head of the General Intelligence Directorate who at the time of the attack was in Tunis, attending an Arab League summit with Crown Prince Fahd bin Abdul Aziz (later King Fahd).




The National Guard and the Saudi Army began arriving at the Grand Mosque in force to try to retake the building. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz (later King Abdullah), then head of the National Guard, was in Morocco. An early-morning phone call from Sheikh Nasser,
the senior cleric in charge of Makkah and Madinah, woke King Khaled to the news that the mosque had been seized. 

The king immediately ordered two senior members of the government, Defense Minister Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, and Interior Minister Prince Naif bin Abdul Aziz, to assess the situation on the ground.

By 9 a.m. they had joined Makkah’s regional governor, Prince Fawwaz bin Abdul Aziz, in the holy city. Prince Turki, meanwhile, was on the first plane back to Jeddah. In Makkah the National Guard and the Saudi Army had begun arriving at the mosque in force.

At about 8 a.m., a lone police officer approaching the mosque in a jeep was wounded by sniper fire. Minutes later, a fusillade of fire from snipers posted on rooftops and in minarets greeted more officers who arrived on another side of the mosque, killing eight and wounding 36 more.

The behavior of the militants appalled all who witnessed it. In one incident, one of Juhayman’s snipers in a minaret had been shot dead by the security forces outside the mosque and was callously pushed to the ground from the balcony by his compatriots.

It later emerged that weapons, ammunition and food had been smuggled into the mosque before the siege. Some guns had been hidden in large construction containers. But others, taking advantage of the tradition of Islamic funeral prayers conducted by the imam within the sacred mosque, had been concealed in coffins.

“Using coffins of the dead to smuggle arms into the Grand Mosque — who could have thought of exploiting this?” said Rashed Al-Shashai, an artist who as a young boy heard tales of the siege from his grandfather, who worked at the mosque and narrowly avoided being taken hostage.

Inside the mosque, fear and confusion reigned. Juhayman’s men had begun allowing some of the hostages to leave, but it was clear that they had no intention of freeing any Saudis. Many were forced to swear allegiance to the so-called Mahdi.

With others, Al-Shashai’s grandfather moved toward the north of the mosque. As the infamous Mahdi “sermon” blared out of the speakers and occasional shots rang out, they hid behind pillars and looked for a way out.

“They had one of two choices,” said Al-Shashai. “Either they believe in the salvation of Juhayman or believe in their own salvation, search for it themselves and get out of the dilemma they found themselves in.”

They chose the latter and continued moving from one pillar to the next, heading toward the northern end of the Safa-Marwa gallery. It was here that several people, including Al-Shashai’s grandfather, were able to escape. 

By now the courtyard of the Grand Mosque, normally teeming with worshippers by this time on the first day of the new year, was eerily empty.

Juhayman’s men had forced men, women and children into the corridors of the mosque, and the silence was broken only by the crack of bullets as snipers fired on the surrounding security forces.

Juhayman: 40 years on
On the anniversary of the 1979 attack on Makkah's Grand Mosque, Arab News tells the full story of an unthinkable event that shocked the Islamic world and cast a shadow over Saudi society for decades

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Orchestra celebrates soundtracks of popular video games at Saudi Arabia’s Ithra

The event at Ithra featured music from Guild Wars 2, World of Warcraft, The Witcher 3 and Assassin’s Creed 2, among many others.
Updated 04 April 2025
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Orchestra celebrates soundtracks of popular video games at Saudi Arabia’s Ithra

  • Concert features symphonic arrangements, in-game HD visuals

DHAHRAN: It is “game on” at the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture after it opened its doors to an event on Thursday.

The orchestral performance, which is being held nightly at the Ithra Theater — with two shows scheduled for Friday — celebrates the soundtracks of popular video games and attempts to breathe new life into them.

The concert features symphonic arrangements paired with in-game HD visuals and exclusive concept art from popular titles such as League of Legends, Overwatch, Assassin’s Creed, and The Witcher 3.

The event featured music from Guild Wars 2, World of Warcraft, The Witcher 3 and Assassin’s Creed 2, among many others. (Supplied)

Sergey Smbatyan, founder of the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra and the artistic director and principal conductor since 2005, was on hand to lend context and commentary between the scores on opening night.

He told the crowd before the show: “If you’re not a gamer, what I want you to do is to imagine that you’re in a museum — an art museum — but instead of a curator telling you about the images that you’re going to see on this huge screen, let these musicians tell you that exact story.

“Tonight there is no right time to clap; there is no wrong time to clap. If you hear something you like from these guys (gesturing to the orchestra behind him on stage), let us know.

“We're going to start off tonight with role-play games, or what are known as RPGs, where players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. The game is focused on interactive storytelling, decision-making and strategy.”

Dhahran resident Paul Blay took his two daughters Sylvia, 11, and Celeste, 10, to the show.

Blay, who is a father of six, told Arab News: “I get emails about Ithra events and saw this one and I thought it would be fun for me and the girls to go to. Like with anyone that you love, I shared the things I love with them.”

The Blay family moved to the Kingdom last year and were keen to attend an event that merged gaming with music.

Celeste told Arab News: “I really like video game music; the music is really pretty and I like listening to that. It is kind of what motivated me to come here. And, also, my dad likes video games.”

The older Blay sisters have both taken music lessons and play multiple instruments, including the piano, the harp and the clarinet.

Their father said: “Some of the best music that’s being composed nowadays is for movies and video games. I expected it to be really high quality and good (at Ithra).”

The event featured music from Guild Wars 2, World of Warcraft, The Witcher 3 and Assassin’s Creed 2, among many others.

The last show takes place on April 5, with tickets starting at SR200 ($53), available at the venue or via the Ithra website.

 


Exhibition honoring Prince Khaled Al-Faisal inaugurated in Jeddah

Updated 04 April 2025
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Exhibition honoring Prince Khaled Al-Faisal inaugurated in Jeddah

  • The exhibition chronicles Prince Khaled’s life and contributions as a statesman, individual and poet through visual installations

MAKKAH: Makkah Deputy Gov. Prince Saud bin Mishal bin Abdulaziz launched the “Love of Khaled Al-Faisal” exhibition as part of Jeddah Season festivities.

The ceremony was attended by Prince Turki bin Faisal, alongside several relatives of Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal.

The delegation toured the exhibition, housed at the Abadi Al-Johar area in Jeddah, which runs from April 3-8 and welcomes visitors daily from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m.

The exhibition chronicles Prince Khaled’s life and contributions as a statesman, individual and poet through visual installations.

 


Saudi Arabia’s Hail poppy reserve attracts thousands of tourists

As the sun sets, the golden rays cast a warm glow over the landscape and create a natural wonder. (SPA)
Updated 04 April 2025
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Saudi Arabia’s Hail poppy reserve attracts thousands of tourists

  • Since opening in 2022, the reserve, which covers 10,000 sq. meters, has drawn thousands of domestic and foreign visitors

HAIL: With its vibrant array of wildflowers framed by golden sand dunes and majestic mountains, the Poppy Reserve in Al-Khattah is one of the Hail region’s most captivating attractions.

Since opening in 2022, the reserve, which covers 10,000 sq. meters, has drawn thousands of domestic and foreign visitors, particularly during holidays, Eid and the spring season.

The attraction enchants guests with its sweeping fields of poppies, perfectly balanced in form and color. As the sun sets, the golden rays cast a warm glow over the landscape and create a natural wonder.

This striking beauty enhances the region’s reputation for breathtaking scenery and offers a unique experience.

 


Saudi Arabia concludes participation in Bologna Book Fair

The event introduced visitors to Saudi heritage through a comprehensive cultural experience. (SPA)
Updated 04 April 2025
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Saudi Arabia concludes participation in Bologna Book Fair

  • The Saudi pavilion experienced significant engagement from publishers and international literary agencies, Al-Bassam added

BOLOGNA: Saudi Arabia concluded its participation in the Bologna International Book Fair 2025, held in Bologna, Italy, from March 31 to April 3.

The event introduced visitors to Saudi heritage through a comprehensive cultural experience.

Bassam Al-Bassam, general manager of publishing at the Saudi Literature, Publishing, and Translation Commission, said the commission organized various initiatives to enhance the publishing and translation industry in the Kingdom and showcase the Saudi cultural landscape.

The Saudi pavilion experienced significant engagement from publishers and international literary agencies, Al-Bassam added.

By participating in international book fairs, the Kingdom aims to enhance its cultural presence on a global scale and create new opportunities to promote Saudi culture both regionally and internationally.

 


Attempt to smuggle qat foiled in Saudi Arabia’s Jazan

Patrols of the Border Guard in Al-Daer, Jazan, foiled an attempt to smuggle 45 kg of hashish. (SPA)
Updated 04 April 2025
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Attempt to smuggle qat foiled in Saudi Arabia’s Jazan

  • Preliminary procedures have been completed, and the seized narcotics were handed to the competent authority

JAZAN: Saudi Border Guard land patrols in Farasan, Jazan, arrested three Yemenis for violating border security system regulations and attempting to smuggle 171 kg of qat.

Meanwhile, Border Guard land patrols in Al-Daer, Jazan, foiled an attempt to smuggle 45 kg of hashish. Preliminary procedures have been completed, and the seized narcotics were handed to the competent authority.