Aḥmad ibn Sa‘īd ibn Sa‘d (; d. ) was a

sharif Sharīf or Sherif (, 'noble', 'highborn'), also spelled shareef, feminine sharīfa (), plural ashrāf (), shurafāʾ (), or (in the Maghreb) shurfāʾ, is a title used to designate a person descended, or claiming to be descended, from the fami ...

of the Zayd clan who served as

Sharif and Emir of Mecca The Sharif of Mecca () was the title of the leader of the Sharifate of Mecca, traditional steward of the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina. The term ''sharif'' is Arabic for "noble", "highborn", and is used to describe the descendants of ...

from 1770 to 1773. After the death of his brother Musa'id in late Muharram 1184 AH (May 1770) his brother Abd Allah succeeded to the Emirate, having been nominated by Musa'id before his death. Ahmad, desiring the Emirate for himself, deposed his brother and appointed himself as Emir. He sent word to Istanbul of the change in office, but before the customary proclamation and '' khil'ah'' (robe of honor) arrived from the capital he was deposed by the ruler of

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

Ali Bey al-Kabir Ali Bey al-Kabir (, Georgian: ალი ბეი ალ-ქაბირი; 1728 – 8 May 1773) was a Mamluk (cartveli, გალელი ბიჭი) leader in Egypt. Nicknamed Jinn Ali ("Ali the Devil") and Bulut Kapan ("Cloud-Catcher") ...

, who replaced him with Abd Allah ibn Husayn of the rival Barakat clan. Abd Allah entered Mecca with a forged ''

firman A firman (; ), at the constitutional level, was a royal mandate or decree issued by a sovereign in an Islamic state. During various periods such firmans were collected and applied as traditional bodies of law. The English word ''firman'' co ...

'' on Friday, 18 Rabi al-Awwal 1184 AH (13 July 1770) supported by Egyptian troops led by

Muhammad Bey Abu al-Dhahab Muhammad Abu al-Dhahab (; 1735–1775), also just called Abu Dhahab (, a name apparently given to him on account of his generosity and wealth) was a Mamluk emir and regent of Egypt Eyalet, Ottoman Egypt. Born in the North Caucasus region o ...

, and was installed as Emir on the same day. In early October Ahmad resumed the Emirate after defeating Abd Allah's forces with the support of Bedouin allies. On 6 February 1773 Ahmad was unseated by his nephew

Surur ibn Musa'id Surūr ibn Musā‘id ibn Sa‘īd (, ) was a sharif of the Zayd clan who served as Sharif and Emir of Mecca from 1773 to 1788. On 6 February 1773 Sharif Surur entered Mecca and proclaimed himself Emir in opposition to his uncle Sharif Ahmad ibn ...

, who proclaimed himself Emir of Mecca. In the following years there occurred 15 clashes between the two factions, culminating in a final engagement in Jumada al-Thani 1193 AH (June/July 1779) when Ahmad was captured. Surur imprisoned his uncle first at

Yanbu Yanbu (), also known as Yambu or Yenbo, is a city in the Medina Province of western Saudi Arabia. It is approximately 300 kilometers northwest of Jeddah (at ). The population is 31,800 (2025 census). Many residents are foreign expatriates wo ...

and then at

Jeddah Jeddah ( ), alternatively transliterated as Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; , ), is a List of governorates of Saudi Arabia, governorate and the largest city in Mecca Province, Saudi Arabia, and the country's second largest city after Riyadh, located ...

, where he died on 20 Rabi al-Thani 1195 AH ().

Notes

References

* * * * {{S-end Sharifs of Mecca Dhawu Zayd 1781 deaths Year of birth missing 18th-century Arab people