How Colonel T.E. Lawrence Deceived the Hashemite Arabs to revolt against the Ottoman Empire. In the Light of Secret British Documents
Sâlahi R. Sonyel
Keywords: T. E. Lawrence, Hashemites, Arabs, Ottoman Empire, History
Abstract
Seventy years ago, in June 1916 to be precise, Sherif Hussein ibn Ali, the Hashemite amir of Mecca, having been encouraged by the British with vague promises of "independence for the Arabs", revolted against his suzerain, the Ottoman Sultan-Caliph, and became an instrument in the destruction of the Caliphate by Christian Powers. In the words of Robert Lacey, "his (Hussein's) movement was less an Arab revolt than an Anglo-Hashemite conspiracy", cemented by about one million pounds sterling in British gold.