The Story of the Magic Paper

A story from Major Sir. Hubert Young‘s book The Independent Arab (published 1933). In 1918, during the days of the Arab Revolt, Major Young sets out on a reconnaissance from the confines of Aqaba towards the Hijaz Railway. On their way lay the grazing grounds of the bedouin tribe Beni Atiya. For them to travel [...]

Empire of Sand

In Robert Ryan’s newest book, Empire of Sand, he takes us back to the Middle East during the First World War. Ryan’s main protagonist is the legendary Thomas Edward Lawrence, better known as Lawrence of Arabia. The main focus of the story centers around the year 1915, before the Arab Revolt of 1916 and Lawrence’s [...]

Allenby’s fake camp

During the first world war the British forces, under the leadership of General Edmund Allenby, had tried and failed twice to take and hold the area of Transjordan. The goal had been to break the lines of the Ottoman Empire between Damascus and Medina. After two failed attacks with many casualties, Allenby shifted focus. Allenby’s [...]