Lawrence and the Arab Revolt

In this talk Jim Tanner looks at Lawrence of Arabia and the attacks on the Hejaz Railway in what is today western Saudi Arabia. This presentation was given to a live, online audience. 

Jim's consideration is less about the clash of empires and more about an astonishing feat of railway building, a British guided insurgency and a modern-day journey through a stunning panorama where the archaeology of the Great War remains largely untouched.

While the reasons are many and complex the decision made by the Ottoman Turks in October 1914 to enter the war against the Entente led directly to the turmoil that continues to affect the Middle East today. Back then, seeking to take advantage of the Turks being distracted elsewhere, the Arabs of the Hejaz revolted. British military support to the Arabs, identified most famously with the activities of TE Lawrence, was to be a fundamental part of Arab success.