Al-Kharab Site
Al-Kharab Site
In October 1838 CE Khurshid Pasha defeated Imam Faisal ibn Turki near Riyadh at the Battle of al-Kharab, capturing the imam and temporarily collapsing the Second Saudi State until Faisal escaped Cairo in 1843 and restored Saudi rule.
Plan your visit
Practical information verified separately from the historical record.
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Why visit?
Stand on the ground where the Second Saudi State fell to Egyptian Ottoman forces and where the dynasty's eventual return was forged in exile.
In Sha'ban 1254 AH, October 1838 CE, the Battle of al-Kharab was fought جنوب Riyadh in the al-Qari'ah and al-Arid district, where the army of Khurshid Pasha met the forces of Imam Faisal ibn Turki ibn Abdullah Al Saud. Muhammad Ali Pasha had dispatched Khurshid at the head of a larger and better-equipped expedition than earlier campaigns, marching from Medina through al-Qassim toward Riyadh. Faisal ibn Turki recognized the danger and attempted a mobile defense.
Saudi troops could not withstand Egyptian superiority at al-Kharab. After defeat, Faisal corresponded with Khurshid seeking terms, but was taken prisoner and sent to Cairo. The Second Saudi State appeared destroyed. Yet European pressure on the Ottoman Empire, more than a immediate Saudi military reversal, eventually loosened Egyptian control, and Faisal escaped in 1843 to rebuild Saudi authority in Najd.
The Battle of al-Kharab marks both catastrophe and resilience: the moment the second emirate seemed finished, and the prelude to a return that would lay foundations for the third and enduring Saudi state.