Once within the walls of Riyadh, and with the benefit of this woman's information, the small group quietly made its way to an empty house close to Ajlan's residence. They entered the house, climbed to the roof and, by leaping from one roof to the next, reached the Amir's residence. There they waited.

At dawn, after prayers, Ajlan emerged from the Mosque into the street. With his quarry in the open, Ibn Saud gave vent to a loud battle cry and sallied forth from Ajlan's residence to attack. Ajlan fled back towards the Mosque, with Ibn Saud and his companions in hot pursuit. Quickly cornered, the Amir defended himself briefly until the sword of Abdullah bin Jelawi cut him down.

The garrison of Riyadh was utterly demoralized by the unexpected attack and by the death of their leader. Assuming that such an assault could have been mounted only by a large and well-equipped force, they surrendered without further resistance.

• Next