Battles & Campaigns · 1917
Battle of Aqaba
Aqaba, Jordan
What happened
Arab forces of the Arab Revolt, led by Sherif Nasir, Auda Abu Tayi and T. E. Lawrence, attacked the Ottoman garrison of Aqaba. The Ottoman port of Aqaba, on the Red Sea, was well defended from the sea. Arab forces crossed the desert and approached from the east, the least-guarded side, taking Ottoman posts on the way. The garrison surrendered and the town fell.
Why it matters
Why it matters: It extended the Arab Revolt's front and linked the Arab forces with the British in Palestine. Aqaba could no longer be a threat to British forces in Sinai.
What came next
Aqaba became a supply depot for the Royal Navy and a base for Arab raids on the Hejaz railway.
Did you know?
A lunar eclipse helped the Arab fighters capture one Ottoman post two nights before the town fell.
Timeline
- 4 July 1917The Kethira post is captured during an eclipse.
- 6 July 1917Aqaba is taken.
- 23 August 1917Feisal's forces arrive at Aqaba.