The Siege of Mecca

This article is about the book. For the events to which its title refers, see Grand Mosque Seizure.
For other uses, see Siege of Mecca.
The Siege of Mecca
Author Yaroslav Trofimov
Country United States
Language English
Subject Grand Mosque seizure
Publisher Doubleday
Publication date
 2007
Media type Print (Hardback)
Pages 320
ISBN 978-0-385-51925-0
OCLC 85162242
953.805/3 22
LC Class DS248.M4 T76 2007

The Siege of Mecca: The Forgotten Uprising in Islam's Holiest Shrine and the Birth of Al Qaeda is a 2007 book by Wall Street Journal correspondent Yaroslav Trofimov about the 1979 Grand Mosque seizure in Mecca.

Hundreds of Islamic radicals led by Saudi preacher Juhayman al-Otaybi invaded the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Islam's holiest shrine, on Nov. 20, 1979. The intruders included men from all over the Muslim world and a handful of American converts. Tens of thousands of worshipers were trapped inside the compound. The battle for the shrine lasted two weeks, causing hundreds of deaths and ending only after the intervention of Saudi National Guard and Special Forces.

Yaroslav Trofimov's book provides the first detailed account of this siege. The book is based on interviews with surviving participants and eyewitnesses, including former terrorist supporters of Juhayman al-Otaybi, as well as hundreds of declassified U.S., British and French government documents.

References

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