The Siege of Mecca
The Forgotten Uprising in Islam's Holiest Shrine
Author:
Yaroslav Trofimov
Publisher:
Penguin Books
ISBN:
9780141034065
Series Name:
Format:
Paperback
Age From:
0
Age To:
0
Publishing Date:
2008
Number of Pages:
301
Edition:
Editor:
Translator:
Illustrator:
Language:
English
Condition:
New
20 November 1979: as morning prayers began, hundreds of hardline Islamist gunmen, armed with rifles smuggled in coffins, stormed the Grand Mosque in Mecca. With thousands of terrified worshippers trapped inside, the result was a bloody siege that lasted two weeks, caused hundreds of deaths, prompted an international diplomatic crisis, and unleashed forces that would eventually lead to the rise of al Qaeda. Journalist Yaroslav Trofimov takes us day-by-day through one of the most momentous - and heavily censored - events in recent history, interviewing many direct participants in the siege and drawing on secret documents to reveal the truth about the first operation of modern global jihad.