The siege of Mecca
Witness History
BBC
4.5 • 1.6K Ratings
🗓️ 26 April 2021
⏱️ 10 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In 1979 Islamist militants seized control of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, the holiest site in Islam. Hundreds were killed as Saudi security forces battled for two weeks to retake the shrine. The militants were ultra-conservative Sunni Muslims who believed that the Mahdi, the prophesied Redeemer, had emerged and was a member of their group. The BBC's Eli Melki spoke to eyewitnesses who were inside the Grand Mosque during the siege.
Photo: Fighting at the Grand Mosque in Mecca after militants seized control of the shrine, November 1979 (AFP/Getty Images)
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Just before this BBC podcast gets underway, here's something you may not know. |
| 0:04.7 | My name's Linda Davies and I Commission Podcasts for BBC Sounds. |
| 0:08.5 | As you'd expect, at the BBC we make podcasts of the very highest quality featuring the most knowledgeable experts and genuinely engaging voices. |
| 0:18.0 | What you may not know is that the BBC makes podcasts about all kinds of things like pop stars, |
| 0:24.6 | poltergeist, cricket, and conspiracy theories and that's just a few examples. |
| 0:29.7 | If you'd like to discover something a little bit unexpected, find your next podcast over at BBC Sounds. You're listening to the Witness History Podcast from the BBC Word Service. I'm Ellie Melky. |
| 0:47.0 | Today I'm bringing you a story from our archives. It's one of the most dramatic and untold stories in Saudi Arabia's history. |
| 0:54.7 | In 1979, hundreds of people were killed when Salafist militants took control of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, |
| 1:01.5 | the holiest site in Islam. |
| 1:03.0 | In 2017, I spoke to eyewitnesses who were inside the Grand Mosque during the siege. |
| 1:08.0 | The 20th of November 1979, its symbolic date, the turn of a new century, the year 1400 in the Islamic calendar, a time for renewal according to tradition. |
| 1:22.0 | That morning, the Grand Mosque and Mecca, the Haram was full of tens of thousands of pilgrims |
| 1:27.6 | from all over the world awaiting the dawn prayer. |
| 1:31.2 | The mosque is built around the Caba, a black square building, the holiest site in Islam. |
| 1:36.0 | As the prayers came to an end, a group of 200 worshippers dressed in white suddenly brought out automatic weapons. |
| 1:42.0 | Some took up positions around the imam and when he was there. White suddenly brought out automatic weapons. |
| 1:42.8 | Some took up positions around the imam, and when he finished praying, they seized control |
| 1:47.0 | of the microphone and made an extraordinary declaration. |
| 1:51.3 | This is their original broadcast. |
| 1:53.0 | We announced today the coming of the Mahdi who will bring justice and fairness on earth which has become filled with |
| 2:05.0 | injustice and oppression. |
| 2:09.0 | According to Islamic texts, the Mahdi is the Redeemer of Islam who is to cleanse the word of evil |
... |
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