The siege of Jeddah, under the command of Ibn Saud's brother Abdullah bin Abdul Rahman, proved to be a long-drawn-out affair. Ibn Saud could have taken the town quickly but he knew that it would be better if the leading citizens of the town could be given time to realize the futility of resistance and to come to terms with the orderly transition from Hashemite to Saudi rule.
The siege lasted for a year, in the course of which mediators made several attempts to negotiate a cease-fire or conditional surrender. The siege was effective in that gradually the town was brought to its knees but Ibn Saud made no attempt to cut off all supplies to the citizens. The port of Jeddah remained open throughout the siege and, by secret arrangements, Ibn Saud ensured that hunger did not turn into starvation. Thus it was that the advance of deprivation amongst the citizens of Jeddah was allowed to work slowly until the citizenry turned against Ali bin Husain and asked him to relinquish his throne.