TRENDEAtlas of the Sultans · Cities

When did Mecca become Ottoman?

Today: Saudi Arabia · Middle East and Egypt

392years under Ottoman rule

Mecca came under Ottoman rule in 1517; Ottoman rule ended in 1916. It changed hands in between; there are 2 separate Ottoman periods.

Mecca
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1517–1806 · 289 years1813–1916 · 103 years

Chronology

  1. 1517
    Became Ottoman

    After Selim I took Egypt, Mecca passed to the Ottomans; the sultan became 'Servant of the Two Holy Cities'.

    Sultan: Selim I
  2. 1803
    Note

    The Wahhabis took the city; Sharif Ghalib laid siege on 12 July 1803 and recovered it.

    Sultan: Selim III
  3. 1806
    Left Ottoman rule

    Despairing of Ottoman help, Sharif Ghalib surrendered the city to the Wahhabis in January 1806.

    Sultan: Selim III
  4. 1813
    Became Ottoman

    Tusun Pasha, son of Muhammad Ali, entered the city on 23 January 1813.

    Sultan: Mahmud II
  5. 1916
    Left Ottoman rule

    Sharif Hussein rose in revolt on 27 June 1916 and on 3 November 1916 founded the Kingdom of Hejaz with Mecca as capital.

    Sultan: Mehmed V

How the total is counted: years of actual Ottoman rule are added up. Temporary occupations shorter than a year (that were reversed) are not subtracted; they appear as notes in the chronology.

In the atlas

On the atlas map the city lies in the region “Hejaz (Mecca–Medina)”. Map colours work at region level, so the city's own dates may differ from the region's by a few years.

Open the map in 1517

Source: TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, “MEKKE” (Turkish); text written for the atlas.