Excellent book about very unknown event that took place in 1979.
I can only say it is very disheartening and disturbing to be introduced to inner workings of the country that is sitting not on two but on so many chairs that it defies logic - and again that country is declared as a strategical ally to entire western world. Short sightedness of western world governments, total stupification of entire governments and their policies regarding the "red menace" and blindness to real time events - not to mention inability to analyze diplomatic data ..... extremely disturbing.

Excellent account showing that when it comes to national interests everything is low priority - no matter what will happen not in 10 years but in mere 4 ahead. Here and now is a priority - and let future administrations dig their way out if they can (unfortunately [following Murphy's law] future administrations are progressively less and less capable so problems just pile up).

Highly recommended.



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The Siege of Mecca is more than a history of a specific incident, but rather it illuminates the political and religious turmoil that was beginning to take shape in the late 70s. I always realized that i was missing pieces in my understanding of the political history of the region, but when I picked up this book, I wasn't expecting to find so many of those connections!

I heard about this incident on a podcast and was very surprised as I had never heard about it before, and I've gone to some lengths to better my understanding of politics of that era. After reading the book I understand now that the Saudi government downplayed and hid the event and the bloodshed around it. And I understand how that decision has echoed.

Marvelous book with excellent reporting. It is a difficult read in places, as I found my western "ear" struggled to keep track of the names and relationships. But the author does a good job of keeping things clear. ( )

This book describes an all but forgotten two-week takeover of the Grand Mosque in Mecca by Islamic fundamentalists back in 1979. The take-over and resulting military clash was an embarrassment to the Royal family entrusted as guardians of Islams holiest shrines, and thus has been purged from historical accounts in Saudi Arabia. The author also describes how and why this lead to anti-American movements throughtout the Middle East. Partly to appease the fundamentalist movement in the Kingdom, the ruling family made concessions to that Islamic movement, which led to funding and spreading of Wahhabi teachings. It's not difficult to look at the events described in this book as the beginnings of the fundamentalist movement which continues to spread throughout the middle east today, and which planted the seeds which grew into Al Qaeda. The book was easy to read and provides insights to the political climate which exists today in the region. ( )

Very interesting and informative look at the attempt by millenarian fundamentalists to take over Mecca in 1979. The reader also gets a a better understanding of the way the the Saudi kingdom works, particularly the relationship between the monarchy and the clergy. Some of the author's attempts at linking this event and the response of the Carter administration to it to wider global political events and trends seem overblown, but otherwise this is fairly insightful. ( )

In november 1979 nam een groep gewapende islamitische radicalen bezit van het heiligste der heiligste van de islam, de de Grote Moskee in Mekka met daarin de Kabaa. De bloedige bezetting en daaropvolgende belegering werden niet in het collectieve geheugen gegrift als een wereldschokkende gebeurtenis. Misschien kwam dat omdat ze overschaduwd werd door de gijzeling van Amerikaanse diplomaten in de ambassade in Teheran en de Russische inval in Afghanistan. Ook deden de Saoedische autoriteiten hun uiterste best om zo min mogelijk over deze schandvlek op hun blazoen te vertellen. En wat ze vertelden, was vaak onwaar.
Lees verder.... ( )