THE MIDDLE EAST FRONT DURING THE FIRST WORLD WAR

The First World War in the Middle East involved several geographically separate fronts which were nevertheless linked by their relative proximity and the belligerents involved, particularly the Ottoman and British Empires. These included Gallipoli, Mesopotamia, as well as the Sinai and Palestine, which ultimately extended into Syria. Linked to this last campaign were events in Arabia where a local rebellion, aided by Britain and France, sought to throw off Ottoman rule. The events were profoundly imperial in character as the diminishing power of the Ottoman Empire encouraged local uprisings against their authority, as the predatory instincts of other powers hoped to expand their territories and influence. Intimately linked to events in other theatres, particularly the Caucasus and Salonika, the eventual Ottoman defeats in the Middle East resulted in a major re-ordering of power in the region and led to ongoing violence that contributed to turmoil for decades afterwards.