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Wadi Hunayn

وادي حنين

Mecca

A deep, hollow valley in the Tihama lowlands between Mecca and Ta'if with narrow gorges where the Hawazin confederation laid their ambush against the Muslim army in Shawwal 8 AH.

Depth

At a glance

Region
Arabia
Identifiers
Wikidata
Review
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In space

Mecca

Map: Natural Earth, public domain · places and route from the graph

Battles

Summary

A wide valley of Tihama's valleys between Mecca and Ta'if near Dhu al-Majaz; its gullies and mountain narrows hid the ambush Hawazin's tribes laid for the Muslim army in the Hunayn expedition in Shawwal 8 AH 1.

Its terrain

The Companion Jabir ibn Abdullah describes it as "a valley of Tihama's valleys, hollow and steep — we kept descending into it" 2. Its rough terrain and narrow entries made a fit site for the surprise ambush Hawazin's archers executed in the early morning 3.

For young visitors

A descending desert valley among the mountains where Hawazin's fighters hid among the rocks to surprise the army — before the Muslims rallied and prevailed.

Connections

Site of
The Battle of Hunayn
Located in
Mecca

People and things also explored

The Conquest of Mecca (Fath Makka)Abu Sufyan ibn HarbKhalid ibn al-WalidThe Battle of Hunaynal-Abbas ibn Abd al-MuttalibAttab ibn UsaydMuhammadMecca

Sources

  1. al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham, al-Saqqa edition (1355/1936), 4/84-86
  2. al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham, al-Saqqa edition (1355/1936), 4/85
  3. al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham, al-Saqqa edition (1355/1936), 4/85-86
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Wadi Hunayn”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/place/wadi-hunayn/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-12.

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Place

Cities, sites and routes on a map that moves through time. Related

The Conquest of Mecca (Fath Makka)

In Ramadan 8 AH (January 630 CE), following Banu Bakr and Quraysh's breach of the Hudaybiyya peace at al-Watir, the Prophet mobilized 10,000 Muslims and entered Mecca in triumphant humility; dividing the army into four columns, the city was taken almost without resistance; the 360 idols around the Kaaba were shattered, and the Prophet announced a general amnesty to the populace: 'Go, for you are free'.