Atlas of Battles

siege, nineteenth century

Siege of Fez

Siege of Fez was a siege conducted on 25 May 1912 at Fez, in what is now Morocco; it lasted 8 days. It was part of the French conquest of Morocco, which ran from 1907 to 1937.

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L'entrevue de mai 1912, dans les jardins de Bou Djeloue
L'entrevue de mai 1912, dans les jardins de Bou Djeloue. L'Illustration, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought25 May 1912lasted 8 days
WhereFez, Morocco34.033N, 5.000W
OutcomeFrench victory; Infiltration and pillaging of the medina by tribes; Initial advantage for the Mujahideen at the beginning of the conflict; Tribal setback at the Battle of el-Hajera al-Kohela, ending the siege
Belligerentsborder|25px|link= Troops of al-Hijami: Hyayna; Ghiata; Tsoul; Branes; Lemta; Beni Sadden; Jeblis; Bani Zeroual; El-Jaya; Cheraga; Cherarda; Oulad al-Hajj; Fichtala; border|25px|link= Troops of Moulay Ahmed ben Hassan al-Sba’i: Aït Youssi of Sefrou; Tariqa Darqawiyah; border|25px|link= Troops of Sidi Raho: Aït Seghrouchen of Imouzzer Kandar; Aït Youssi; Beni Mtir; Aït M'GuildagainstFrance; border|25px|link= Makhzen
Part ofFrench conquest of Morocco1907 to 1937

Where it sits in the French conquest of Morocco

Bombing of Casablanca, 1907Siege of Fez, 1912Battle of Sidi Bou Othman, 1912Battle of Bou Yahia, 1918Battle of Gaouz, 1918Battle of Tazizaoute, 193219071932Siege of Fez, 1912
6 placed engagements of the French conquest of Morocco in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date25 May 1912
to 2 June 1912
PlaceFez, Morocco
34.033N, 5.000W
KindSiege, nineteenth century
StrengthBetween 3,000 and 10,000 (up to 20,000) tribal mujahideenAround 15,000 French troops; * 1 Foreign Legion battalion; * 1 Senegalese Tirailleurs unit (4th Senegalese Tirailleurs Battalion); * 1 Algerian Tirailleurs unit; * 1 Tunisian Tirailleurs unit; * 3 infantry battalions; * 3 Spahi platoons; * 1 engineer detachment; border|25px|link= Goumiers and Cherifian forces: * 3 infantry battalions; * 3 Cherifian cavalry platoons
Casualties and lossesRelatively heavy
Commanders
  • Sherif Muhammad al-Hijami
  • Sidi Raho
  • Henri Gouraud
  • Hubert Lyautey
  • André-Gaston Prételat
  • Abdelhafid of Morocco
Siege of FezSiege of FezCapture of FezSiege of FezSiege of FezBattle of Wadi al-LabanBattle of Alcácer QuibirBattle of Wadi al-LabanBattle of Alcácer QuibirRabatMeknesKenitraLaracheOuezzane100 km34.033N, 5.000W
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 4 times between 1554 and 1912.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1912

Siege of Fez is one of 4,429 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas and one of 159 in present-day Morocco.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q139715321, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Siege of Fez (1912), revision 1378098225, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.