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'HISTORY OF THE GREAT WAR BASED ON OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS. THE CAMPAIGN IN MESOPOTAMIA 1914-1918. VOLUME I.' [‎20r] (44/454)

The record is made up of 1 volume (223 folios). It was created in 1923. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .

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19
THE TURKS IN MESOPOTAMIA
small
r, did
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Central
having
iermai
ittache
gained considerable power in the central and provincial
administration of the country. There was thus little ameliora
tion in the condition of Mesopotamia. The unsuccessful wars
with Italy in 1911 and with the Balkan States in 1912-1913
made matters worse ; and the Arab disaffection in Mesopotamia
was brought into connection with the anti-Turkish movement
in Arabia. Opposition to the Government grew even in Basra
and Baghdad , the Muntafik under Ajaimi Ibn Sa’adun were
reported to be planning an attack on Basra; the waterways
between Baghdad and the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. were rendered insecure
by the prevalent disorder ; a general rising of the southern
Mesopotamian Arabs was feared ■ and lawlessness was
increasing in Kurdistan, where a number of chiefs were
entering into relations with Russia. The whole situation was
still uncertain when the European War broke out.
During recent years much has been heard of the Pan-Islamic
and Pan-Turanian movements and it seems advisable to give
here a brief ydsufnd* of these movements and their objects.
Pan-Islamism, the older of the two, is based on the ideal of a
union of all Moslem countries looking to Turkey as their
liberator from alien control, their protector from outside inter
ference, and their nominal or actual head. Abdul Hamid,
theoretically (as Caliph) the religious head of all Musalmans,
exploited this movement to the utmost. Nominally a religous
movement, it has actually become a political weapon, first in
the hands of Abdul Hamid and then of the Committee of Union
and Progress, who suggested, on the principle of political
independence for Islamic states, a Triple Alliance of Turkey,
Persia and Afghanistan. Its advocacy by the Turks has
militated against its chance of becoming a religious movement,
for the Arabs who have been responsible for most of the
modern religious revivals in Islam regard the Turks as little
better than infidels. On the other hand, it has appealed to
Musalman communities under European government who are
not sufficiently in touch with Turkey and Turkish affairs to
realise the true state of affairs j to some among them it
appeared to offer hopes of obtaining the benefits of self-governing
institutions for themselves, whilst to others its religious ideal
has undoubtedly been a goal to be striven for. The Ottoman
empire is the only Musalman power of modern times which has
dealt on equal terms with the naval and military powers of
Europe, a factor of great importance to Musalman communities
T 3 * *?U mUCh °* the i n f° rrn ation here the historian is indebted to “The
Round Table,” December 1917, and “ The Times.” 3rd and 5 th January 1918.

About this item

Content

The volume is the first volume of an official government publication compiled at the request of the Government of India, and under the direction of the Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defence, by Brigadier-General Frederick James Moberly. The volume was printed and published at His Majesty's Stationery Office, London.

The contents provide a narrative of the operations of 1914-1918 in Mesopotamia, based mainly on official documents.

The volume is divided into two parts. The first part, entitled, 'Part I. Before the Outbreak of Hostilities', consists of the following five chapters:

  • General Description of the Country
  • The Turks in Mesopotamia
  • British Pre-War Policy
  • The Army in India and Pre-War Military Policy
  • Inception of the Operations

The second part, entitled, 'Part II. The Campaign in Lower Mesopotamia', consists of the following seven chapters:

  • The Landing in Mesopotamia of Force "D" and the Operations Leading to the Occupation of Basra
  • The Occupation of Basra and the Capture of Qurna
  • Commencement of the Turkish Counter-Offensive
  • Development and Defeat of the Turkish Counter-Offensive
  • Operations in Arabistan and the Capture of Amara
  • Operations on the Euphrates and the Occupation of Nasiriya
  • The battle of Kut and Occupation of Aziziya

The volume also includes nine maps, entitled:

  • The Middle East
  • Lower Mesopotamia
  • Map 1 - To illustrate operations described in Chapter VI
  • Map 2 - To illustrate fighting near Qurna
  • Map 3 - To illustrate fighting round Shaiba
  • Map 4 - To illustrate operations in Persian Arabistan
  • Map 5 - To illustrate operations in the Akaika Channel 27th June to 5th July 1915
  • Map 6 - To illustrate operations near Nasiriya 6th to 24th July 1915
  • Map 7 - To illustrate the Battle of Kut 28th September 1915
Extent and format
1 volume (223 folios)
Arrangement

The volume contains a page of errata (folio 5), a list of contents (folios 6-8), a list of maps and illustrations (folio 9), appendices (folios 185v-192), an index (folios 192v-214v), and eight maps in a pocket attached to the inside back cover (folios 217-224).

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence commences at the inside front cover with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 225; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio.

Pagination: the volume also contains an original printed pagination sequence.

Written in
English in Latin script
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'HISTORY OF THE GREAT WAR BASED ON OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS. THE CAMPAIGN IN MESOPOTAMIA 1914-1918. VOLUME I.' [‎20r] (44/454), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/MIL/17/15/66/1, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100048172213.0x00002d> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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