Key Facts
- Date
- September–November 683
- Duration
- Approximately one month
- Key damage
- Kaaba damaged by fire during siege
- Trigger for end
- Sudden death of Caliph Yazid I
- Civil war concluded
- 692, when Umayyads captured Mecca again
Strategic Narrative Overview
The Umayyad army first defeated the rebels at Medina and occupied that city. It then marched on Mecca, where Ibn al-Zubayr refused to submit. A month-long siege followed, during which the Kaaba was struck by fire and damaged. The defenders held the city. Before the Umayyads could press a decisive assault, news arrived of Yazid I's sudden death, fundamentally altering the political calculus for the Umayyad commander.
01 / The Origins
The siege arose from a succession crisis within the early Islamic state. Yazid I of the Umayyad dynasty claimed hereditary succession to the Caliphate, but this was widely contested. Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr, one of the most prominent opponents, took refuge in Mecca. After Medina rebelled against Umayyad rule, Yazid dispatched an army into the Hejaz to suppress dissent and reassert Umayyad authority over both holy cities.
03 / The Outcome
With Yazid dead, the Umayyad commander Husayn ibn Numayr al-Sakuni attempted to persuade Ibn al-Zubayr to travel to Syria and be recognized as Caliph, but Ibn al-Zubayr refused. The Umayyad forces withdrew, and Ibn al-Zubayr remained in Mecca, soon being acknowledged as Caliph across most of the Muslim world. The Second Fitna continued until 692, when a second Umayyad siege finally captured Mecca and ended the conflict.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Husayn ibn Numayr al-Sakuni.
Side B
1 belligerent
Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.