Book description
It is 1916. The Allies are struggling in the Great War. The Ottoman
Sultan calls for a pan-Islamic jihad against all non-Muslims except
Germans. But Sharif Husein, ruler of the holy city of Mecca, is
smarting under Turkish rule, fomenting Arab nationalism and lobbying
the British to support him. It seems to the British a good idea
secretly to encourage an Arab revolt. Setting the Desert on
Fire is a masterly account of this key moment made legendary by T.
E. Lawrence, but here filled with a wide range of characters including
the British Prime Minister Lloyd George, whose desire to capture Â
Jerusalem by Christmas' had consequences that reverberate to this day.
 [Barr] introduces fresh materials to give new context to Lawrence
and the present difficulties in Iraq
James Barr graduated from Oxford with a first in Modern
History, went on to write leaders for the Daily Telegraph and
now works in the City.
