Turaba

Turbah is an oasis settlement on the eastern side of the Hijaz, in a valley that descends from the Sarawat toward the Arabian interior. Its cultivated land and palm groves made it an important centre for the surrounding tribes, including the Buqum. The town became a focal point of resistance during the campaigns sent by Muhammad Ali Pasha against the first Saudi state.

Ghaliyya al-Buqamiyyah, remembered for her wealth and influence among the Buqum, helped organize and support the defence of Turbah. In 1813 an Egyptian-Ottoman force under Mustafa Bey was defeated in the district, leaving guns and ammunition behind. The Egyptian chronicler al-Jabarti also recorded a later expedition by Tusun Pasha and Abidin Bey against the town associated with Ghaliyya; after days of fighting, it withdrew without success. The struggle for Turbah formed part of the wider contest for control of the Hijaz and the routes leading inland.