Editing Arab Revolt (section)

==== Prelude (November 1914 – October 1916) ====
[[File:HejOut.svg|thumb|Outline map of Hejaz]]
[[File:1918 British Government Map illustrating Territorial Negotiations between H.M.G. and King Hussein.png|thumb|1918 British government map: ''Map illustrating Territorial Negotiations between H.M.G. and King Hussein.'']]

When [[Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener|Herbert Kitchener]] was Consul-General in [[Sultanate of Egypt|Egypt]], contacts between [[Abdullah I of Jordan|Abdullah]] and Kitchener culminated in a [[Telegraphy|telegram]] of 1 November 1914 from Kitchener, recently appointed as Secretary of War, to Hussein, wherein Britain would, in exchange for support from the Arabs of Hejaz, "guarantee the independence, rights and privileges of the [[Sharifate of Mecca|Sharifate]] against all foreign external aggression, in particular that of the Ottomans."<ref>{{cite journal|title=Turning Point of Turkish Arab Relations:A Case Study on the Hijaz Revolt|first1=Nuri|last1=Yesilyurt|journal=The Turkish Yearbook|volume=XXXVII|date=2006|pages=107–108|url=http://acikarsiv.ankara.edu.tr/browse/3940/3104.pdf|access-date=8 July 2017|archive-date=12 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171012050258/http://acikarsiv.ankara.edu.tr/browse/3940/3104.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[Sharif of Mecca|Sharif]] indicated that he could not break with the Ottomans immediately, and it did not happen till the following year.<ref name="auto">Murphy, p. 8.</ref>

From 14 July 1915, to 10 March 1916, [[McMahon–Hussein Correspondence|ten letters, five from each side, were exchanged between Sir Henry McMahon and Sherif Hussein]]. Hussein's letter of 18 February 1916 appealed to McMahon for £50,000 in gold, plus weapons, ammunition, and food. Faisal claimed that he was awaiting the arrival of 'not less than 100,000 people' for the planned revolt. McMahon's reply of 10 March 1916 confirmed British agreement to the requests and concluded the correspondence.<ref name="auto"/>

Hussein, who until then had officially been on the Ottoman side, was now convinced that his assistance to the [[Triple Entente]] would be rewarded by an Arab empire, encompassing the entire span between Egypt and [[Qajar Iran]], with the exception of imperial possessions and interests in [[Kuwait]], [[Aden Protectorate|Aden]], and the [[Syria]]n coast. He decided to join the [[Allies of World War I|Allied camp]] immediately, because of rumours that he would soon be deposed as Sharif of [[Mecca]] by the Ottoman government in favor of [[ʿAlī Ḥaydar Pāshā|Sharif Ali Haidar]], leader of the rival Zaʻid family.<ref name="auto"/> The much-publicized executions of the [[Arab nationalism|Arab nationalist]] leaders in [[Damascus]] led Hussein to fear for his life if he were deposed in favour of Ali Haidar.<ref name="Murphy, David page 34"/>

Hussein had about 50,000 men under arms, but fewer than 10,000 had rifles.<ref name="proceedings">Parnell, p. 75</ref> On 5 June 1916, two of Hussein's sons, the emirs [[Ali of Hejaz|ʻAli]] and [[Faisal I of Iraq|Faisal]], began the revolt by attacking the Ottoman garrison in [[Medina]], but were defeated by an aggressive Turkish defence, led by Fakhri Pasha.<ref>Murphy, pp. 34–35.</ref> The revolt proper began on 10 June 1916, when Hussein ordered his supporters to attack the Ottoman garrison in Mecca.<ref>Murphy, pp. 33–34.</ref> In the [[Battle of Mecca (1916)|Battle of Mecca]], there ensued over a month of bloody street fighting between the out-numbered, but far better armed Ottoman troops and Hussein's tribesmen.<ref name="Murphy, David page 34"/> Hashemite forces in Mecca were joined by Egyptian troops sent by the British, who provided much needed artillery support, and took Mecca on 9 July 1916.<ref name="Murphy, David page 34"/>

Indiscriminate Ottoman artillery fire, which did much damage to Mecca, turned out to be a potent propaganda weapon for the Hashemites, who portrayed the Ottomans as desecrating Islam's most holy city.<ref name="Murphy, David page 34"/> Also on 10 June, another of Hussein's sons, the Emir [[Abdullah I of Jordan|Abdullah]], attacked [[Ta'if]], which after an initial repulse, settled down into a siege.<ref name="Murphy, David page 34"/> With the Egyptian artillery support, Abdullah took Ta'if on 22 September 1916.<ref name="Murphy, David page 34"/>

French and British naval forces cleared the [[Red Sea]] of Ottoman gunboats early in the war.<ref name="p76">Parnell, p. 76</ref> The port of [[Jeddah]] was attacked by 3,500 Arabs on 10 June 1916 with the assistance of bombardment by British warships and seaplanes.<ref name="proceedings"/> The seaplane carrier {{HMS|Ben-my-Chree||6}}, provided crucial air support to the Hashemite forces.<ref name="Murphy, David page 35">Murphy, p. 35.</ref> The Ottoman garrison surrendered on 16 June.<ref name="proceedings"/> By the end of September 1916, the Sharifian Army had taken the coastal cities of [[Rabigh]], [[Yanbu]], [[al Qunfudhah]], and 6,000 Ottoman prisoners with the assistance of the [[Royal Navy]].<ref name="proceedings"/>

The capture of the [[Red Sea]] ports allowed the British to send over a force of 700 Ottoman Arab POWs, who primarily came from what is now Iraq, who had decided to join the revolt led by [[Nuri al-Said|Nuri al-Saʻid]] and a number of Muslim troops from [[French North Africa]].<ref name="Murphy, David page 35"/> Fifteen thousand well-armed Ottoman troops remained in the Hejaz.<ref name="proceedings"/> A direct attack on Medina in October resulted in a bloody repulse of the Arab forces.