Summary of Lawrence of Arabia by Ranulph Fiennes E-Book

SUMMARY GP

• Herausgeber: BookRix
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

DISCLAIMER

This book does not in any capacity mean to replace the original book but to serve as a vast summary of the original book.

Summary of Lawrence of Arabia by Ranulph Fiennes: My Journey in Search of T. E. Lawrence

IN THIS SUMMARIZED BOOK, YOU WILL GET:

• - Chapter astute outline of the main contents.
• - Fast & simple understanding of the content analysis.
• - Exceptionally summarized content that you may skip in the original book

Ranulph Fiennes' biography of T. E. Lawrence, a British archaeologist and adventurer, provides a detailed account of his life, including his involvement in the 1916 Arab Revolt, his legendary 300-mile journey, and his £20,000 price. Fiennes' in-depth knowledge of the unknown provides enthralling insight into Lawrence's remarkable life.

Leseprobe

GP SUMMARY

Summary of Lawrence of Arabia by Ranulph Fiennes

My Journey in Search of T. E. Lawrence

Ranulph Fiennes' biography of T. E. Lawrence offers a comprehensive account of his life, including his involvement in the 1916 Arab Revolt, his 300-mile journey, and his £20,000 prize.BookRix GmbH & Co. KG81371 Munich

title page

Summary of

Lawrence of Arabia

A

Summary of Ranulph Fiennes’s book

My Journey in Search of T. E. Lawrence

GP SUMMARY

Summary of Lawrence of Arabia by Ranulph Fiennes: My Journey in Search of T. E. Lawrence

By GP SUMMARY© 2024, GP SUMMARY.

All rights reserved.

Author: GP SUMMARY

Contact: [email protected]

Cover, illustration: GP SUMMARY

Editing, proofreading: GP SUMMARY

Other collaborators: GP SUMMARY

NOTE TO READERS

This is an unofficial summary & analysis of Ranulph Fiennes’s “Lawrence of Arabia: My Journey in Search of T. E. Lawrence” designed to enrich your reading experience.

DISCLAIMER

The contents of the summary are not intended to replace the original book. It is meant as a supplement to enhance the reader's understanding. The contents within can neither be stored electronically, transferred, nor kept in a database. Neither part nor full can the document be copied, scanned, faxed, or retained without the approval from the publisher or creator.

Limit of Liability

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. You agree to accept all risks of using the information presented inside this book.

Copyright 2024. All rights reserved.

Introduction

In 1967, the author, a tank troop leader, was bored and contemplating his future. He received a letter from a major in his regiment who had been posting to the Omani Army, offering a chance to fight alongside Arab tribes and Marxist rebels. The author was excited about this opportunity, as it seemed like a chance to see action against the Marxists. He filled out the application form, which was signed by the colonel. Later, he joined eight other officers at an Army school in Beaconsfield to learn Arabic and understand the situation in Oman.

The instructor asked if the author had any experience of action, and the author replied that he had no. The instructor then provided a map and explained the situation.

In 1967, Britain withdrew from Aden, leading to the spread of Marxism in the region. The Russian and Chinese imperialists targeted Dhofar, Oman, where many Dhofaris were rising up against the aging Sultan of Oman. Oil had been discovered in 1964, and the Sultan had retired to his palace, keeping the country in the dark ages. The Dhofar Liberation Front was formed, and guerrilla fighters were sent to Moscow and Peking to be trained and supplied with state-of-the-art weapons. Over 2,000 insurgents supported by the Soviet Union were fighting the Sultan's meagre forces in the Dhofar mountains.

The Soviet Union and its guerrillas were crucial in taking Dhofar and Oman, as over two-thirds of the oil requirements of the free world were derived from countries in the Persian Gulf. The Soviet Union and its guerrillas could blackmail the West with threats to oil supplies. Fiennes, a British officer, was assigned to lead an Arab platoon in Dhofar against the adoo, a mountain fighter who knew every inch of their land.

Fiennes reflected on his experiences in Oman, recognizing T. E. Lawrence as a hero who inspired him to victory in life-or-death situations. He sought to understand Lawrence's life and offer a unique perspective on his fascinating life. 

Prologue

1913: Carchemish

In the early 20th century, a wise man, Thomas Edward Lawrence, was a respected medicine man and judge known for his expertise in tribal matters. Lawrence, a twenty-five-year-old British man, arrived in Carchemish after completing his studies at Jesus College, Oxford. He was taken under the wing of David Hogarth, a professor and archaeologist, and was tasked with supervising an archaeological dig at the ancient Hittite city of Carchemish. Lawrence was genuinely interested in his men and took the time to talk with them. He also earned great favor by dressing in Arab robes, eating their food, and even sleeping out in the open.

Launce was drawn to the Arabs' simple lives and sought to protect them from the materialism and self-interest of the West. He adopted their dress and mannerisms, living as an Arab of the desert. The men loved Lawrence for his childlike enthusiasm and generosity in paying bonuses for discoveries. His sense of fairness won their respect, and he was invited to arbitrate tribal feuds.

However, in 1914, the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Austria led to war across Europe. Lawrence's adventures in the Middle East were over, but events in Syria would soon change the course of the war, and the hopes and dreams of an Arab prince and much of the Middle East would rest on his shoulders.

In 1916, Sherif Feisal bin Hussein, the third son of Sherif Hussein Ibn Ali, was in Damascus advocating for his people's independence from the Ottoman Empire. The Arabs of the Hejaz had long agitated for their independence, but the Ottomans' superior armed forces had been able to suppress any uprising. Sultan Abdul Hamid II recognized the need for action and planned to revolutionize travel through the desolate Hejaz desert. In 1908, the first phase of the Hejaz Railway was built, initially covering 800 miles between Medina and Damascus, with plans to extend it to Mecca. However, the plan backfired, as the Bedouin tribes of the Hejaz opposed the railway, leading to violent protests and the scrapping of the planned 280-mile extension.

In 1913, Sultan Abdul Hamid was deposed by the Young Turks, who seized control and attempted to assert their dominance over their Arab lands. Feisal, a member of the Turkish parliament, was a diplomat and well-liked by the Young Turks, who implicitly trusted him and made him an esteemed guest in Damascus. Despite his diplomatic abilities, Feisal was working from within, plotting an uprising against his Ottoman masters and their grip over the Hejaz.

Feisal, a prominent figure in the Young Turks, had been meeting with secret rebel societies in Damascus to organize an opposition against the Ottomans. However, the lack of a national Arab army and the hatred among Arab tribes made it difficult to mobilize the necessary support. In 1914, the Young Turks sought German assistance to occupy Russia and divert their troops from fighting on the Polish and Galician fronts. However, the British and French forces tried to take Constantinople, leading to a stalemate. Feisal saw this as an opportunity to create an Arab uprising.

The British offered the Arabs an initial 2 million rounds of ammunition and 5,000 rifles, which set the wheels in motion for an Arab Revolt. Feisal instructed his brother Ali to raise troops in the Hejaz, and instructed Cemal Pasha to provide the tribes to the Ottomans. On 6 May 1916, a messenger informed Feisal that prominent members of the secret society had been arrested and Cemal Pasha was about to publicly execute the supposed traitors.

Feisal was surprised to see his friends being executed, but Cemal Pasha remained unafraid of betrayal. He and Enver Pasha accompanied Feisal back to the holy Hejaz city of Medina to inspect the troops. The Arab Revolt was hanging by the threads, and Feisal needed a powerful friend to help turn the tables on the Ottomans.

1

In November 1914, the British declared war on the Turks following the Ottoman Empire's alliance with Germany and Austria-Hungary. They immediately began to protect their domains in the Middle East, focusing on defending their oil interests in Basra and securing the Suez Canal. As a result, British troops quickly flooded into Egypt, and there was an urgent need for intelligence officers who knew the Middle East and spoke Arabic.

James Lawrence, a young boy with exceptional intelligence, joined the British intelligence team in Cairo in late 1914. His education and experience made him an asset in the Middle East, but his first two years in Cairo primarily involved drawing maps and pinpointing enemy positions.

After working at Carchemish, Lawrence considered himself an authority on the Middle East and had little time for those in Cairo who disagreed with him. He spent his spare time reading history books and exploring mosques and local bazaars, often alone. When Hogarth and General Sir Gilbert Clayton established the Arab Bureau in 1916, Lawrence's intelligence and experience became valuable assets.

With his ability to speak Arabic, he was tasked with interviewing Turkish prisoners of war, giving him unique insight into the Ottoman positions and the strengths and weaknesses of its forces. This knowledge allowed Lawrence to push his pro-Arab independence agenda in Cairo and London, with memos even forwarded to Sir Henry McMahon, the British high commissioner in Egypt.

Despite his intelligence and desire to work harder than most, some senior officers were willing to indulge Lawrence, such as Ronald Storrs, the thirty-four-year-old oriental secretary of the British Agency in Cairo. However, the British government had to be careful not to inspire the hundreds of millions of fellow Muslims in India to rise up against British rule, as any sign of actively helping the Arabs of the Hejaz to seek independence could cause a ripple effect across the continent.

The British War Committee agreed to pay Sherif Hussein £125,000 a month to help meet the costs of the Revolt in the Hejaz. On 10 June 1916, Hussein heralded the start of the Revolt in Mecca, forcing 1,500 Ottoman soldiers to flee. This pleased Lawrence, who hoped the movement would increase and be the biggest thing in the Near East since 1550. With the help of the Royal Navy, the Arabs quickly took key ports of Jidda, Yenbo, and Rabegh, and set their sights on Medina. However, without the help of the Navy, the Arabs lacked the heavy weapons required to overwhelm the walled city and the entrenched Turkish garrison.

Manpower was a real issue, as Thousands of Arab men had been conscripted into the Ottoman Army, while many tribes still regarded each other as the enemy and refused to join together to fight. Religion was also a deterrent, as the Ottoman Sultan's call for Muslims to wage jihad against the British made some reluctant to join forces with the supposed enemy.