Atlas of Battles

siege, First World War

Siege of Najaf

Siege of Najaf was a siege conducted in 1918 at Najaf, in what is now Iraq. Its exact site is not recorded; the atlas places it at Najaf. The recorded result: British victory. Recorded strength: 1 brigade against ~30,000 citizens.

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Aerial view of Najaf in 1918.
Aerial view of Najaf in 1918.. w:Gertrude Margaret Lowthian Bell (14 July 1868 – 12 July 1926), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought1918
WhereNajaf, Iraq32.029N, 44.340E, placed at the location, approximate
OutcomeBritish victory
BelligerentsBritish Empire; Pro-British sheikhs: Saiyid Mahdi al Saivid SalmanagainstJam'iya al-Nahda al-Islamiya; Anti-British sheikhs; Haji 'Atiyah Abu Qulal; Kadhim Subhi; Haji Sa'ad ibn Haji Radhi

Record

Date1918 (year precision)
to 1918
PlaceNajaf, Iraq
32.029N, 44.340E
KindSiege, First World War
Strength1 brigade~30,000 citizens
Commanders
  • Francis Balfour (colonial administrator)
Siege of NajafSiege of NajafBattle of Dayr al-JamajimBattle of BursBattle of UllaisBattle of al-QadisiyyahBattle of NahāvandBattle of BursBattle of UllaisBattle of al-QadisiyyahBattle of NahāvandKarbalaAl KutAs SamawahAl Musayyib100 km32.029N, 44.340E
Placed at Najaf; the exact site is not recorded. with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

Elsewhere in 1918

Siege of Najaf is one of 4,429 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas and one of 206 in present-day Iraq.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q85801093, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Siege of Najaf (1918), revision 1370743830, 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.