# Arab Revolt declared (10 June 1916)

URL: https://allhistories.com/syria/timeline/1916-arab-revolt-declared
Location: Mecca, advancing to Syria
Themes: Arab nationalism, Executions

The Arab Revolt began on 10 June 1916 in Mecca, when Sharif Hussein bin Ali launched an uprising against the Ottoman Empire, encouraged by British promises of Arab independence. His son Faisal led the Arab Northern Army, while Ali and Abdullah pressed campaigns around Medina and Ta'if. The British liaison officer T. E. Lawrence advised Faisal and focused on sabotaging the Hejaz Railway. Estimates of the rebels' strength vary widely, from around 5,000 regular troops to as many as 30,000 including irregulars in 1918. The Ottomans kept about 20,000 troops in the Hijaz in 1917. The revolt rested on the Syrian secret societies, whose officers and notables supplied political direction. In 1918 Faisal's forces joined General Allenby's offensive. Arab troops took Deraa on 27 September, and Damascus fell between 30 September and 1 October, with Australian Light Horse entering the city alongside them. The revolt achieved military success, but the postwar settlement divided the region between Britain and France, which many Arabs viewed as a betrayal. At this point in the timeline (1916), Ottoman Syria lay under Mehmed V (27 April 1909 – 4 July 1918). Other contemporary rulers included Jamal Pasha, Ottoman commander and governor in Syria (1915 – 1917). The main location of this event lies outside present-day Syria.

## Why it matters
The revolt carried the Arab nationalist cause from Mecca to Damascus and gave Faisal his claim to rule Syria.

Ruler at the Time: [Mehmed V](https://allhistories.com/syria/rulers/mehmed-v)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Arab Revolt](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_Revolt)
- [Wikipedia — Hejaz railway](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hejaz_railway)