One hundred years ago, on July 6, 1917, an Arab army led by Auda abu Tayi and Captain T.E. Lawrence (“Lawrence of Arabia”) captured the key Turkish outpost of Aqaba (today, Aqaba, Jordan). Nearly two months before, on May 9, 1917, abu Tayi and Lawrence, along with 45 Arabs, left the headquarters of the Arab Revolt in Wehj on the Arabian peninsula. Lawrence had come up with a plan to attack Aqaba from the landward side, rather than the heavily fortified sea side. He did not share these plans with any other British officer before leaving Wehj.
Each man carried water and a 45-pound sack of flour. Lawrence, who was wearing Arab robes and riding a camel, also carried 22,000 British gold sovereigns. He and Auda Abu Tayi used the gold to attract fighters from tribes along the way. After eight weeks in the desert, the band had grown to 500 fighters, riding dozens of horses and hundreds of camels.
On July 2, 1917, the Arab army attacked and annihilated a Turkish relief column of several hundred men at an outpost 40 miles to the north of Aqaba, Aba el Lissan. The Arabs then rode into Aqaba, whose 300-man garrison quickly surrendered without firing a shot. They “splashed into the sea” on July 6, 1917.
Lawrence then immediately followed up on the victory by traveling an additional 150 miles by camel across the Sinai desert to bring news of Aqaba’s fall to the British in Egypt. Meeting with the new British military commander, General Allenby, Lawrence persuaded him to provide weapons, supplies and pay for the Arab forces.
The fall of Aqaba is related in the Edward Ware Thrillers at War novel Key to Lawrence: Special Edition.
