Hand-painted miniatures of Mecca and the Ka'abah from the Islamic prayer book 'Prayers to Muhammed,' composed by Muhammed b. Suleyman al-Jazuli.
"While the British troops were engaged with the Turks in Mesopotamia and Palestine, the Arabs seized the opportunity to throw off the hated Turkish yoke. Simultaneous uprisings took place in the Hedjaz district of Arabia. The leader of this revolt was Hussein-ibn-Ali, Grand Sherif of Mecca, and the most powerful prince of Western and Central Arabia. As hereditary keeper of the Holy Places and head of the tribe of the Prophet, he was regarded with reverence by the Arabs.Hussein, on June 5th [1916], proclaimed the independence of Arabia at Mecca. The population greeted the announcement with cheers, but the Turkish garrison rejected his summons to surrender, opening fire on the Great Mosque with heavy artillery. Rallying the loyal Arabs to his standard, Hussein overcame the resistance of the Turkish garrison, compelling their surrender on June 13th, and taking 1100 prisoners."
The Ottoman Empire included Turkey and a great arc of territory stretching from the Suez Canal through Palestine and Syria to Mesopotamia and the Gulf of Persia. In early 1915, Turkish forces had attacked the Suez Canal but been driven off by British forces who soon began preparing advance on Palestine. In Mesopotamia, a British, primarily Indian, army at Kut-al-Amara had surrendered to Turkish besiegers on April 29, 1916 after a siege of nearly five months. The British encouraged the nascent Arab revolt and provided some arms and military expertise.
King's Complete History of the World War by W.C. King, page 262, copyright © 1922, by W.C. King, publisher: The History Associates, publication date: 1922
1916-06-13, 1916, June, Mecca,
