Battle of Mecca (1916)
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (July 2010) |
Battle of Mecca | |
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Part of Hejaz Vilayet, Ottoman Empire | |
Result |
Arab victory
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The Battle of Mecca occurred in the
Background
The
. He prepared his four sons too for this ambitious adventure.Events
In early June 1916, most of the
The battle started and continued. On the next day, Banu Hashim's forces advanced and captured Bash-Karakol[3] at Safa corner adjacent to the Masjid al-Haram. On the third day, Hamidia, the Ottoman Government Office, was captured, as well as the Deputy Governor. Now the captive Deputy Governor ordered his remaining Turkish troops to surrender. They refused.
A stalemate resulted. Sir Reginald Wingate sent two artillery pieces from Sudan via Jeddah, with trained Egyptian gunners. They breached the walls of the Turkish fort. The Sharifain army attacked and the fate of these defenders was sealed. On July 4, 1916 the last Turkish resistance in Mecca, Jirwal barracks, capitulated, after three weeks of stubborn resistance.
Results
This battle marked the beginning of the end of the Ottoman Empire, and it also sparked the beginning of the Hashemite Kingdom of Hejaz whose capital was Mecca. Gradually, this kingdom expanded northward. This battle left deep scars in the Middle East. Arab states came under strong European influence. The Ottoman caliphate ended and Palestine came under British rule, leading to the eventual creation of the state of Israel. The Sharif of Mecca was himself deposed by the rival Ibn Saud and his dream of an Arabian state stretching from Yemen to Syria remained unrealized.
See also
References
- History of the Arab Revolt (on King Hussein's website)
- Arab Revolt at PBS
- ISBN 978-0-8050-8809-0.
- Lawrence, T. E. (1935). Seven Pillars of Wisdom. Doubleday, Doran, and Co.
- ISBN 1-85109-420-2, page 117.
- ^ ISBN 978-2-262-07083-0.
- ^ Turkish for "main outpost" or "main police station"