[5] It was also the last major battle in which one side rode camels,[6] as the Ikhwan emphasized radical conservatism and shunned technological modernization.

The rebellious, but technologically mediocre, Ikhwan were decisively defeated by the Saudi forces, which had machine-guns and cavalry.

[10] While raiding was often a part of Bedouin life, the Ikhwan took it a step further: they would raze entire villages, and kill women and children they deemed to be insufficiently pious.

[11] By the late 1920s, Saudi expansion had begun to slow down, and any territory not under the control of Ibn Saud was ruled by various foreign powers.

[12] He not only realized the folly of engaging in war with the British, but was bound by the Treaty of Jeddah to recognize the borders of British-held territories.

The Ikhwan were driven by a medieval Bedouin view of combat, in which two sides opposed one another and sought who would bear the greater courage and physical strength.

By contrast, Ibn Saud was a religious but pragmatic leader, and had sought to upgrade doctrinal and technological innovation.

[14] In the eyes of Ibn Saud's supporters, the battle was necessary for the ability to continue Saudi conquest of the peninsula.