The Arab Revolt was an armed uprising by the Hashemite Arabs of the Hejaz against the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Here are the key details:
Cause and Goals:
The revolt began officially on June 10, 1916, initiated at Mecca based on the McMahon–Hussein Correspondence. This correspondence exchanged between Henry McMahon (representing the United Kingdom) and Hussein bin Ali (of the Kingdom of Hejaz) promised Arab independence in exchange for their rebellion against the ruling Turks.
The primary goal of the Arab rebels was to establish an independent and unified Arab state stretching from Aleppo to Aden, which the British government had promised to recognize.
Conflict and Outcomes:
The Sharifian Army, led by Hussein and the Hashemites, with backing from the British military's Egyptian Expeditionary Force, fought and expelled the Ottoman military presence from much of the Hejaz and Transjordan.
By 1918, the rebels had captured Damascus and proclaimed the Arab Kingdom of Syria, led by Hussein's son Faisal I.
However, the British, who had covertly signed the Sykes–Picot Agreement with the French, reneged on their promise to support the Arabs' establishment of a singular Arab state. Instead, the Arab-majority Ottoman territories were broken up into a number of League of Nations mandates, jointly controlled by the British and the French.
Casualties:
The exact number of casualties during the Arab Revolt is not known precisely, but it is estimated that more than 5,000 Arabs were killed, 15,000 wounded, and 5,600 imprisoned.
The Ottoman side suffered 47,000+ total casualties, including 5,000 killed and 10,000 wounded.
Disease-related deaths also contributed to the toll.
British Involvement:
The British provided significant support to the Arab forces:
A naval flotilla, including the seaplane carrier HMS Ben-My-Chree, bombarded Turkish fortifications and disrupted their efforts.
The British dispatched their own military mission, including Lieutenant T.E. Lawrence (known as Lawrence of Arabia), to liaise between the Arab leadership and the British high command in Egypt.
The assistance included the landing of the first units of the Arab Regular Army, Ottoman soldiers captured by the British who volunteered to fight for the Arab nationalist cause.
The British naval and military support played a crucial role in the success of the Arab Revolt.
Source(s)
10. en.wikipedia.org
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