MOHAMMAD ALI AL-AJLOUNI: A FIGURE OF THE GREAT (1893 – 1971) PJAEE, 17 (7) (2020)

MOHAMMAD ALI AL-AJLOUNI: A FIGURE OF THE GREAT ARAB REVOLT (1893 – 1971)

Ibrahim Ahmad AL-Shyyab Al- Applied University / Al-Huson University College /

Ibrahim Ahmad AL-Shyyab: Mohammad Ali AL-Ajlouni: A Figure of the Great Arab Revolt (1893 – 1971) -- Palarch’s Journal Of Archaeology Of Egypt/Egyptology 17 (7). ISSN 1567-214x Keywords: Mohammad Ali AL-Ajlouni; Great Arab Revolt; Arab Renaissance; Jordan History; Arab Army.

ABSTRACT Mohammad Ali AL- Ajlouni was one of the figures of the national movement and the Arab nationalism at the beginning of the twentieth century. He was also one of the most important leaders of the first generation who believed in the principles of the great Arab revolt which called for freedom, independence and liberation from injustice and tyranny which the Arab nation had under the rule of the Unionists. He was one of the first officers who showed Arab awareness under the rule of the Turkish(Ottoman Empire). So, he joined the Arab revolution which reflected hopes and ambitions of the Arabs. AL- Ajlouni fought in many battles of the revolution after meeting Prince Faisal in Aqaba 1917” and joining the revolution army. The most important battles he fought were: Wadi Musa, Jurf Aldrawish, Tafilah and Maan. Then, he moved to where he fought in the battle of Maisaloun. Finally, he returned back to Jordan and stayed there until his death.

Introduction The leader Mohamad Ali AL-Ajlouni is considered one of the prominent figures of the Arab national movement and nationalism at the beginning of the twentieth century. Also, he is one of the earliest leaders who believed in the principles of the great Arabic revolution which called for freedom and independence from the injustice and the tyranny that the Arab nations faced

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under the rule of the Unionists. After graduation, AL-Ajlouni joined the Ottoman Army with many Arab officers at that time. He was one of the Arab officers in the Ottoman army who discovered that the Progress and the Union party controlled the Ottoman Empire, that started to follow a policy cope with the plans of the colonial countries and the Jewish agency which aimed at eliminating the Ottoman Empire through imposing their Turanism nationalist ideas on the non-Turkish nations under the banner of Caliphate.1 The Arabs were of the first nations that suffered from the policy of forced Turkification, which caused a great response between the Arab officers in the Ottoman army who suffered from the mistreatment of their Turkish leaders who most of them were from the Progress and Union party. This policy led to an internal boring and refusal movement which soon escalated between the Arab officers who were serving in the Ottoman fourth army which deployed in the Levant front and controlled by one of the fiercest anti-Arab unionist leaders (Gamal Basha Alsaffah) who practiced the ugliest acts of killing and hanging of the free figures of the Arab nations in Syria and Lebanon. This policy led to an internal boring and refusal movement which soon escalated between the Arab officers who were serving in the Ottoman fourth army which deployed in the Levant front and controlled by one of the fiercest anti-Arab unionist leaders (Gamal Basha Alsaffah) who practiced the ugliest acts of killing and hanging of the free figures of the Arabic nations in Syria and Lebanon. No doubt that these tyranny policies that were practiced by the unionists such as (Gamal Basha Alsaffah ) were one of the main reasons and factors that accelerated the disobedience and the refusal movement of many Arab officers in the Ottoman army who joined the great Arabic revolution. Mohamad Ali Al-Agloani was one of the earliest officers who refused the grievance and injustice and joined the Arab revolution at the first chance. His Name, Birth and Inception Mohamad ben Ali Ibrahim Al-khateeb (known as AL-Ajlouni), was born in 1893 in Angarah one of Ajloun’s region villages. His father was a teacher in the village and his grandfather was a soldier in the army of Ibrahim Basha Almasry. He studied in Al-kuttab (a small elementary school) which was run by his father, then he continued his education in a public school in Ajloun. Then, his eldest brother took him to Damascus to continue his education but he failed in the Turkish language exam, so his father sent him to Al-Azhar in Egypt (azharian) but he couldn’t continue his education because of the First World War. He spent the summer vacation in his village at that time, so he couldn’t return back. At that time the Ottoman authorities called him up for the military service, and sent him to the Officers Reserve School in Baalbek. Later,

1- Al-Dustour newspaper website: Maj. Gen. Mohammed Ali al-Ajlouni and three of his sons held the ministerial post, July 2, 2009, p. 1-2. http://www.addustour.com//.htm

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he joined the military college in Istanbul to graduate as an officer in the Ottoman army. Mohammad Ali AL-Ajlouni and His Military Beginning He was sent to the military school (The officers Reserve School) in Baalbek, after he was called by the Turkish government for the military service. He said “in the meantime we were with our colleagues in the school feeling pain and burning, and chatting about our bad condition. He said “There were more than two hundred Arab young men in the officers’ military school which was called (The exclusive service). They were the vanguard of the school’s students, among them were doctors, engineers and lawyers, where some of them were connected to the Covenant Party or The Young Arab Association Party.2 Mohammad Ali AL-Ajlouni from Baalbek to Anatolia (Adana Province) When officials felt that we had a lot of meetings, after they trampled spies and eyes on us, it was decided to separate the course officers and to be appended to the army but not the armed brigades. He also said I was with eight officers, one of them was the Jerusalemite Hashem Dagani. We were sent to Anatolia to work in the command of the transport detachments. There, he was hired as a commandant for the detachments under the presidency of admiralty Othman bey and with him the staff officer captain Ahmad Nazeeh Bey from Kalas town. He added we had a direct communication in Tartous as the command of the detachment was there, and we had meetings with some Arab officers in Tartous and other meetings with some passers-by toward Istanbul.3 At that time our relationship with the Turks became worse because of ethnicity, and as a result of that I was imprisoned twice; I do not know why. After that my mental and health condition got worse and I was infected by Malaria fever, then I was moved to Tartous for hospitalization.4 Mohammad Ali AL-Ajlouni and the Beginning of The National Awareness Al-Ajlouni said” the beginning of the national awareness for me was early through an accident that I witnessed one morning in Baalbek. I saw a group of our Turkish colleagues surrounding some people hanged on the gallows, they cursed them and described them as traitor Arabs. One of my colleagues asked one of the Turkish non-commissioned officers saying “If they are traitors, they got their punishment but what is the fault of Arabs to call all of them as traitors “and the answer was that all Arabs are traitors and they will have their punishment soon.5 Mohammad Ali AL-Ajlouni and His Transition to the National Work Joining the Great Arabic Revolt.

2 - Al-Ajlouni, Memories of the Arab Revolution, p. 21, Suleiman al-Musa, Photos of the Tournament, p. 188. 3 -Al-Ajlouni, Memories, p. 22-23. 4 - Al-Ajlouni: Memories, p. 24-25, and Suleiman al-Musa, photos of the tournament, p. 188-189. 5 Nicolas Ziadeh: The Arab Revolution, p. 133-134, and Al-Ajlouni: Memories, p. 21, Suleiman al-Musa: Photos of the Heroism, p. 188.

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AL-Ajlouni said that this Baalbek accident left deep impact on me. I realized that the Turks do not see us as (Arab officers) friends in the army, but they consider us as untrusted figures. From this day I began thinking about my nation and its independence.6 Mohammad Ali AL-Ajlouni and Hearing of the News of the Revolt Mohammad Ali AL-Ajlouni was at Tartous hospital when some merchants from Aleppo came to visit their friends and told them the news of the revolution. They told me that Sharif Husain (Sharif of Mecca) announced revolution on the Turkish government and the independence of Arabic nation. The news had great impact on us as if it came from heaven to return the trust which was trampled and to draw new wide lines in the life of the Arab nation full of strength, optimism and a new dawn. The smiles began to appear on the faces of the wounded Arab officers and their relatives, and since that time I immediately promised myself to go to the revolution square in spite of the difficulties of the road.7 Mohammad Ali AL-Ajlouni in His Way to the Revolution Squares Al-Ajlouni started working on joining the revolution, as he asked the chief doctor in Tartous hospital to let him join the service after the improvement in his health condition, who after great insistence, agreed. When Al-Ajlouni arrived the location, he demanded a travel card from the location commandant to travel to Aleppo to join the unit which was traveling to the Suez Canal. He decided to travel (disguised and escaped) with the unites crawling to the front at the Suez Canal, so he can easily join the revolution through Egypt. He added a military rank to his own and hung its badge and got on the train to Aleppo. At Aleppo station, he says “The fever returned back and I entered the hospital for two weeks then I left the hospital and asked the location commandant in Aleppo for a travel card to join the unit in Damascus. I left the hospital to the headquarter of transportation in the fourth army. There I met my colleague (in the Officers Reserve School) the citizen Tawfeeq Efram from Irbid. He was a companion to the commandant and had a connection with the German Chancellor. I told him about my intention and I asked his help to be hired in the transport detachments sent to the Canal. The mediation succeeded and I took my way to Jerusalem from Horan to Adlib to Naples as a commandant of the detachment which was traveling to Bear Saba. In Jerusalem I was informed from my colleague the Circassian officer Ibrahim Haqqi that the orders were issued for me to stay with my detachment in Jerusalem. I showed him my happiness but actually I was pessimistic from this coincidence that I did not encounter. I insisted to ignore all this, and continue my travel project to join the revolution. In Jerusalem I met my friend, a citizen who was a school colleague in Cairo and in the Officers Reserve School; the officer Ali Saleh Al-Ajlouni

6- Nicolas Ziadeh: The Arab Revolution, p. 134, Suleiman al-Musa, Photos of the Tournament, p. 188. 7 Al-Ajlouni, Memories, p. 25, Youssef Jamil, Revolution and Exile, p. 128-131 Suleiman al-Musa: Photos of the Heroism, p. 189.

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from Sareeh village who was the first to be promoted to the rank of first- lieutenant 8(from reserve officers) in the fourth army, who had a good relationship with the army management inspectors.9 His relation with Ali Saleh Al-Ajlouni from Sareeh It was obvious that his relation with his friend Ali Saleh Al-Ajlouni was old, since school times in Cairo. He first met him in Cairo during his education period, then he was his classmate in the Ottoman Officers Reserve School. He says that Ali Saleh Al-Ajlouni is from Sareeh village near Ajloun.10 His word was accepted by the inspector of (house or houses) which means (Army Administration Headquarter) and some senior leaders. The responsibilities of his job were equal to the responsibilities of the job of a high rank officer. He was popular in Jerusalem society and from his friends that I know was Omar Saleh El-barghothy, one of the notables of Jerusalem.11 Situations with Ali Saleh Al-Ajlouni Mohammad Ali Al-Ajlouni had a close relationship with the officer Ali Saleh Al-ajlouni as he described their meeting in Jerusalem as if he landed on him from heaven, because he missed him and he was so happy. One day, he asked him for help for one of his friends that went with him to a library in Jerusalem and asked him to help for a promotion to a higher rank. He welcomed them and promised for help. He kept his promise, as the promotion from the Istanbul Military Ministry was approved by telegram three days later. On one occasion, I accompanied him on a visit to the Military Mission Department, which belonged to him, and he equipped me with luxury military uniforms and an excellent pistol, with a saddle for my horse with all his accessories. Muhammad Ali al-Ajlouni describes his friend and companion Ali Saleh al- Ajlouni: Ali Saleh al-Ajlouni was combining Islamic science as a graduate from Al-Azhar, and military science as a graduate from the reserve officers in Istanbul, where I accompanied him.12 Muhammad Ali al-Ajlouni tells his friend Ali Saleh al-Ajlouni about his intention to join the revolution The close friendship that brought Muhammad Ali Al-Ajlouni together with his friend Ali Saleh al-Ajlouni had an impact on the secret of joining the revolution and his firm desire to struggle alongside with its rebellious sheriff, but his friend Sheikh Ali Saleh al-Ajlouni did not like the idea of joining the revolution for a number of reasons, including: 13

8-Ajlouni, Memories, P. 25. 9 -Ajlouni, Memories,p 26. 10- Al-Ajlouni, Memories, p. 27. 11-Ajlouni, Memories, p. 27. 12- Al-Dustour newspaper, Gen. Mohammed Ali al-Ajlouni, and three of his sons, p. 2. http://www.addustour.com//.htm 13-Al-Dustour newspaper, Gen. Mohammed Ali al-Ajlouni, and three of his sons, p. 2. http://www.addustour.com//.htm

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1- Religious, because he believes that a Muslim should not depart from the Ottoman Muslim Caliph14 2- Political, where he did not trust the English promises to Sharif Hussein to help the Arabs to establish a unified state that would bring them together if they fought alongside with the English and their French allies against the Ottoman Empire.15 Muhammad Ali al-Ajlouni recalls his memories saying that his friend Ali Saleh al-Ajlouni tried hard to dissuade me from this determination for two reasons: First: the dangers in the way: and second, that he is not enthusiastic about the revolution of Sharif Hussein; the Sharif of Mekkah, and started enumerating the disadvantages of the English, their injustice and their maliciousness to Islam and Muslims. As for me, I started to remind him of the difficulties I faced and described the tyranny of Jamal Pasha and his murder of the free people by hanging and torturing them, and what the threat that the Turks hide for the Arabs and their future, and finally he agreed to this and facilitate my travel through Karak-Tabuk, but not to take responsibility for his conscience towards this dangerous adventure.16 Mohammed Ali al-Ajlouni, as an assistant of the commander of the Ottoman Army troupe in Karak Al-Ajlouni stayed for several months in Jerusalem, then the orders came to transfer him to Karak as an assistant to the commander of the Ottoman Army troupe (Jodi Bek Sharkass), who was an antagonist for the Union and Progress Association. At that time, Mohammad Ali Al-Ajalouni asked very carefully about the news of the revolution in the south after the handover incident of the free Syrians by Noury Al-Shalan, as they were his guests in his house and he handed them over to Jamal Pasha who hanged them. So being careful from the was a necessity. In Karak, Muhammad Ali al-Ajlouni met Sheikh Atallah al-Suhaimat, one of karak's dignitaries, and the Damascene merchant Ibrahim al-Mazik, where they developed a strong friendship, which led to a great trust until he informed them of his intention to go south to join the revolutionary army. The two friends agreed to help me and asked a man of Bani Attia clan to accompany me to the south for a charge.17 When he completed the travel staff to the south, he was arrested the next morning and sent to Jerusalem for trial in the Customary War Court, where the news reached my friend Ali Saleh al-Ajlouni, who began relentless pursuit to settle the matter and releasing me of what I am in. After three days he visited me to tell me that I was released from this trouble. Then I was sent to the knights third troupe in Bear Saba to join them as a punishment for me. After a week from my arrival to Bear Saba I got Typhus fever and was taking to the hospital in Jerusalem.

14-Al-Dustour newspaper, Gen. Mohammed Ali al-Ajlouni, and three of his sons, p. 2. http://www.addustour.com//.htm 15-Al-Dustour newspaper, Gen. Mohammed Ali al-Ajlouni, and three of his sons, p. 2. http://www.addustour.com//.htm 16-Ajlouni, Memories, p28. 17 -Al-Ajlouni, Memories, p. 29.

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My friend Ali Saleh Al-Ajlouni visited me there and urged the doctors and nurses to take care of me. He was smiling at me saying “Where is the end of the road?”. He helped me and sent me to Jericho for convalescence at the commander Kamel Bek Kadara who was responsible for commanding Jericho’s location. I stayed there until I regained my health, and after a period of time I heard the news of the assassination of my friend Ali Saleh Al-Ajlouni in Jerusalem. I went to his home in Jerusalem where I found his father and his uncle. The assassination of my close friend was a great lose for me and for our motherland. After that I returned back to Jericho, and there I asked the commander Kamel Kadara for a week vacation to visit my father in the village.18 Muhammad Ali al-Ajlouni and joining the fields of revolution: 1-Muhammad Ali Al-Ajlouni in (Al-Madour) After arriving his village in Anjara in Ajloun brigade, he met his father and gave him the money he had, and told him about his intention to go to the fields of revolution to join Prince Faisal, He agreed and prayed for me to succeed. Next day I went out with a friend of mine towards (Al-Madour) one of the villages of Bani Hassan and went to my brother who was living there. In the meantime, I was followed by the detachment of Gendarme led by Khalid Alko al-Kurdi from Jerash with the order to arrest me alive or dead, but the tribesmen threatened the commander of the detachment by shooting if they didn't leave so it returned back with its commander to its center in Jerash.19 Mohammed Ali Al-Ajlouni in Bani Sakher Lands The commander of the detachment Khalid al-Kurdi in the village of Al- Madour said: "I took off the military clothes and replaced them with a shabby and sleazy robes in order not to covet the bandits, and I took a young man from Bani Hassan named (Matar). I started my journey disguised with this dress to the nearest fields of revolution in the south. I passed through Amman then to the east of Mushta palace accompanied by a man from the Khrashan (Al-Kharisha) clan until we reached his place, where we knew from him and of some of his neighbors that sheikh (Mufleh Al-Qamaan) one of the sheikhs of Bani Sakher went south and met Prince Faisal and returned with gifts.20 I wanted to be sure of that, so I decided to go to the house of Sheikh (Mufleh al- Qamaan) from al-Zaban, one of the tribes of Bani Sakher, but there was a war between the Tribes of Bani Sakher and the Balqa tribes, so the travel was fraught with danger. But we started to travel early and we passed through the water of the thumd, and in the evening we reached the Mills at a site named Al- Thari to the east of villages.21 We entered into a large tent, and I knew among the seated Sheikh (Kaftan al-Hamid) who was a guest of the

18 -Al-Ajlouni, Memories, p. 30-31. 19 -Ajlouni, Memories, p. 32. 20- Ajlouni, Memories, p. 32. 21 -Al-Ajlouni, Memories, p. 32-33.

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sheikh (Mufleh al-Qaman). I heard them talking about Faisal bin Hussein heading from Al-Wagh to Aqaba. Then we traveled from a district to another till we arrived Lewaa Al-Kark. We reached al-Majali clan and then to al- Nuaimat lands on the mountain overlooking Wadi Al Hasa, then we travelled until we arrived after the third day to the town of Tafila, then to the village of Dana and then to Rashadiya.22 From there we went to Shawbak, and on the way we saw the scenic views that overlook the Valley of the Araba and the Dead Sea. We entered the Shobak and walked between the Mills and caves, and after several nights we heard that (Mouloud Mukhlas) the Iraqi leader with Sharif Moin had landed in Wadi Musa near Petra, and in the morning, I snuck in with my companion heading to meet the Iraqi leader Mouloud Mukhlas with the black beard and the bright eyes. He welcomed me a lot and told me about the events of the revolution after I introduced myself, and he mentioned the colors of the Arab flag, which was raised by the Revolution in Hijaz.23 On the morning of the second day, The Commander Mouloud Mukhlas directed us with two knights to Ain Dalaga, where we were received by the commander of the Garrison (Rasim Sardst) the Damascene with brotherly reception. We stayed two nights there, and from there we left to the area of (Al-Quwaira) near Aqaba, where we found the headquarters of Infantry teams, at the time of the beginning of its composition. This journey took (32) days from the Al-Madour to Al-Qowayra, in which our leader suffered from hunger, cold, and lack of cleanliness, until his skin was eaten by lice, pimples and boils also appeared.24 Muhammad Ali Al-Ajlouni with Prince Faisal in Aqaba After leaving Al-Quwaira, he went to Aqaba, where he met the mujahed (Fayez al-Ghussin) the head of prince Faisal's office who was wearing Arabic dress and speaking three languages Arabic, Turkish and French. He says in his memories "He introduced me to the prince Faisal and I was in a state of disrepair only carrying my faith, and he introduced me to him as one of the officers who rushed on their own to meet the call of Hussein Bin Ali, and during the conversation he asked me to talk about the story of my joining and my arrival in Aqaba, so I told him about my journey and answered the questions he asked me, and then he asked Fayez al-Ghussin to bring me back to him in the evening. I was in the hands of His Highness in the evening, and I saw among the seated Colonel Joyce, the Libyan deputy general in Aqaba and Lawrence. He presented me to them and asked me to repeat the description of my journey, and when I finished my speech, Prince Faisal said that he believed in the vitality of the Arab nation and the seriousness of its struggle for its freedom, and that is why this young man (meaning Muhammad Ali Al- Ajlouni) risked his life on this journey, exposing himself to the death penalty if his issue was revealed. Prince Faisal expressed his desire for Muhammad Ali al-Ajlouni to remain a military escort with him, but he thanked him and asked him to send him to the armed battalions to contribute in the battlefield. Prince

22 - Memories of Ajlouni, p. 34-37. 23 -Al-Ajlouni: Memories, p. 38, Suleiman al-Musa, portrait of the tournament, p. 189. 24 - Al-Ajlouni: Memories, p. 38-39, Suleiman al-Musa, portrait of the tournament, p. 189.

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Faisal actually admired his request and wrote by himself to Jafar Pasha, the military commander-in-chief of the military forces, praising him and recommending him to be retained as an officer with warrior qualifications.25 Then, the prince's permission was used by Mohammed Ali Al-Ajlouni and he went out to Jafar Pasha, the military commander-in-chief on the seashore, and handed him the book of Prince Faisal. He read it and presented Al-Ajlouni to the command officers at the time, namely Nuri al-Saeed, the staff officer of the command, and Shaker Abdul Wahab Al-Sheikhly, director of the Movements Division. and I was appointed as an assistant to Shaker Al-Sheikhly in the division of movements and the first work I did was to participate in a committee that was composed to translate military terms from Turkish to Arabic.26Volunteers flocked to Aqaba until a squad was established and the division began its training, where each delegation of volunteers was added to the units according to their respective competence. After a short period, the number of volunteers increased to be enough to form two infantry divisions, an artillery brigade, a cavalry brigade, and other transport, intelligence and engineering units. Also, Hagana detachment was established under the directing of Marzok Al-Tekhimi and Lowrance. The mission of this detachment was to surprise and destroy railway stations and blow up bridges, and some of them were assigned to penetrate to the east to the area of Wadi al- Sarhan and Jabal Al-Druze with an intention for reconnaissance and for calling for the revolution between tribes.27Prince Zeid arrived in Aqaba with an entourage and some of the honorees of Mecca, and at that time Aqaba was crowded with tribes from Badiat Al-Sham and the outskirts of Al-Jazeera.The affairs of the tribal delegations in Aqaba were supervised by an official named (Madaifi al-Amir), who was concerned with receiving and submitting delegations and managing their livelihood, and another to distribute cash grants. But for the process of guidance and directing, it was by Prince Faisal himself.All these delegations and the crowds were coming to Prince Faisal to offer their services, but there were some who differ in their goals from the others, some of them want to receive grants and gifts, others have many faces and have the willingness to deal with the enemy and they were few, but a lot of the tribal leaders and the people of the elite had a pure intention towards Prince Faisal and what should be done properly. Prince Faisal was treating the captives with kindness and recommend to treat them well specially when the Bedouins receive a reward of 5 golden pieces for each Turkish soldier from the prince.The fields of the revolution were not free from opportunists, climbers and those with special interests. Unless Prince Faisal wisdom, big heart, and the support of Sheikh Odeh Abu Tayeh for him, these rivalries would have developed and affected the unity of work in the battle field. Abu Tayeh had heroic situations in the war after his return. He had a good opinion with strong determination and dedication to Arabism and he had the advantage of taking

25- Al-Ajlouni: Memories, p. 40-41, Suleiman al-Musa, Photos of the Tournament, p. 189.

26 -Ajlouni, Memories, p. 44. 27 -Al-Ajlouni, Memories, p. 30-31.

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the lead in the evacuation of Turkish troops from Aqaba and from the military locations between Aqaba to Maan, so that the Turks tried to seduce him by giving him an emirate in shrew, but he rejected these offers and his answer was that he embraces principles for which he dedicated himself and his clan to achieve them as he says.28 Muhammad Ali al-Ajlouni and the Battle of Wadi Musa In his memoirs, Muhammad Ali Al-Ajlouni said that Turkish factions suddenly darted into the Valley of Moses in a queue of mules and two queues of infantry with artillery and machine guns supported by some forces, where they raided the garrison led by Mouloud Mukhlas and clashed with it all day, until the garrison withdrew and fortified with Petra cliff. In the evening the garrison and the people of Wadi Musa attacked the Turkish forces from the outskirts of the village, and applied to them from three sides and forced the enemy to retreat leaving a lot of dead and wounded soldiers. President Hassan al-Jabi al-Damascene was killed in this battle from the staff war stationed in Maan, and another officer of a high rank, Mouloud Mukhlas has performed a good deed in this battle, which also the gunman Hussein Al-Nabulsi proved his reassurance.29 Muhammad Ali al-Ajlouni and the Battle of the Dervish Cliff (January 12, 1918) The attack on the Dervish Cliff station was in response to the enemy's attack on Wadi Musa, where a military force consisting of an infantry regiment, two cannons and a machine gun company headed with a large number of Bedouin soldiers, who were nearly 1,000 fighters from the Hawiytat, Bani Sakhr, and Sharah tribes under the command of Sharif Nasser and Nouri al-Saeed (the command's staff war). This campaign camped for two nights in the open air at the east of the railway line, after it passed it at night and then the dervish cliff station was raided from the east and clashed with its garrison. The battle lasted a few hours, where the revolutionary forces defeated the forces of the garrison of the station and eliminated it and then took the station over after the surrender of its garrison. The campaign gained enriched military equipment and large livelihoods, and captured about (200) prisoners among them (30) officers of different ranks. The military force that was in the station was 1,000 soldiers with two cannons, and a number of machine guns.30

28- Ajlouni, Memories, p. 49-50. 29- Al-Ajlouni: Memories, p. 57, Mamdouh al-Russan: Wars of the Revolution, p. 58, Suleiman al-Musa: The Principality of Eastern Jordan, p. 36, and Bakr Majali: Military Tracks of the Revolution, p. 147-154, Lawrence: The Arab Revolution, p. 95, Zubeidi, Mouloud Mukhlas, p. 92-94. 30 -Al-Ajlouni: Memories, p. 57-58, Suleiman al-Musa, Arab Movement, p. 352-353, Mamdouh al-Rusan, p. 59, Suleiman al-Musa: The Emirate of Eastern Jordan, p. 36, the Great Arab Revolution, Men Who Made History, p. 39, and Qassim Mohammed Saleh: In the Rehab of the Revolution, p. 124, C1, Bakr Majali: The Military Tracks of the Revolution, p. 74. + p. 128-142, Sobhi Al-Omari: The First Battles, p. 152-154, Suleiman al-Qawasaa, The Arab Revolution, p. 53.

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Muhammad Ali al-Ajlouni and the Battle of Tafila (Tal al-Daqiq) (14/January/1918) Officer Mohammed Ali al-Ajlouni participated in the battle of Tafila, where he accurately described that after the battle of The Dervish Cliff station ended for the benefit of the rebels, the commander of the Tafila garrison announced to join the revolutionary forces with his soldiers with their weapons and equipment.31 There was a Turkish military garrison in Tafila, estimated at about (240) soldiers led by President Zaki al-Halabi, and after the battle of The Dervish Cliff the force went to Tafila, and entered it without resistance by Zaki al-Halabi, commander of the Turkish garrison, and Dhiab Al-Oran, who had a relationship with Prince Faisal.32We entered Tafila with the force that marched to it after the completion of the occupation of the Dervish Cliff, and we did not notice (say Al-Ajlouni) any division among the people who met and welcomed us. In the meantime, President Zaki al-Halabi was hired as a governor of Tafila. He joined the revolution together with his soldiers after they were with the Turkish Tafila garrison.33While entering the Jazi family led by Meteb and Hail Al-Jazi, along with horses from the Mutalqa clan, one of the Hawitat clans to Tafila, a war nearly broke up between them and Abu Tayeh for local reasons that had nothing to do with politics. But when His Highness Prince Zeid came to Tafila with Raasem Sarrdest and Sobhi Al-Omari, he was assigned to lead the sites overlooking the Dead Sea, and immediately he worked to resolve the dispute and correct the occurrence of strife between the two clans, and to resolve it once and for all.34Then a committee was formed to collect the gains, prisoners, count them and hand them over to the command formed from Officer Mohammed Ali Al-Ajlouni and other officers.35 The Turkish government is sending a campaign to restore Tafila (March 7, 1918) Leader Muhammad Ali Al-Ajlouni participated in the defense of Tafila, where he said that the occupation of Tafila from the Turks, had a great impact on their spirits, they were frightened, and that is why he sent one of their most famous military leaders, (Commander Hamid Fakhri), who was called in Turkish circles Bucharest Fatih i.e. conqueror (the capital of Romania when it was occupied by German troops) and had a Turkish band led by Hamed Fakhri

31 -Al-Ajlouni: Memories, p. 58-59, Fawzi Qalaji: Gil Al-Fada, The Story of the Great Revolution and the Arab Renaissance, Arab Writer's House, 1982, p. 246, Suleiman al-Musa, Arab Movement, p. 352, and Suleiman al- Musa: The Principality of Eastern Jordan, P. 36-37, Qassim Mohammed Saleh: In the Rehab of the Revolution, C1, p. 123-124, Bakr Khazer Majali, Military Tracks, p. 74-75, and Sobhi Al-Omari: The First Battles, p. 163-175+ 195.

32 -Al-Ajlouni, Memories, p. 58-59, Mamdouh al-Russan: The Wars of the Revolution, p. 58-59, Al-Adwas, The Hashemite Army, p. 79-80, Lawrence, p. 299-300, Memoirs of Prince Zeid, p. 33-34 Mamdouh al-Rusan, p. 59, Suleiman al-Musa, The Arab Revolution, Men who ranked history, p. 39, Qassim Mohammed Saleh, in the rehab of the revolution, C1, p. 124, and Sobhi al-Omari: The First Battles, p. 155-156. 33 -Al-Ajlouni, Memories, p. 59, Bakr Majali: Military Tracks, p. 74-76, Suleiman Quaba, Arab Revolution, p. 55, Saad Juma, The Great Arab Revolution, p. 246, and Suleiman al-Musa: Photos of the Heroism, p. 189. 34 -Suleiman Quaba: The Arab revolution p.53. 35 - Bakr al-Majali, Military Tracks, p. 104, and Sobhi al-Omari, First Battles, p. 174-175.

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who was of a Circassian origin.36 Commander Hamed Fakhri went to Tafila with a team of trained soldiers, and competent officers with modern weapons, which is estimated to have a squad of approximately 1,000 infantries with artillery, machine guns and knights, as well as accompanied by a detachment of the gendarmerie forces in Karak led by (Lieutenant Mohammed Al-Hamwi) and some volunteers.37 The news of this campaign reached Prince Zeid at the time the campaign reached its path to the plain between wadi al-Hasa and the mountains near Tafila. Then Prince Zeid sent the military garrison led by Rasim Sardst, and stayed for them on the way, which was joined by a large number of tribes of Hawaitat, and some volunteers from Bani Sakher. Hamed Fakhry was not attentive with his enemy strength, and he was depending on the proficiency of his military troops and his fatal weapons. But as soon as his troops reached the open plain, the revolutionary forces raided on him with the gunmen of the clans, who came out of the hills and started shooting from all sides, also the Tafila garrison withstood and repelled their progress, the matter that confused Commander Hamed Fakhri. Only few hours passed until the panic began to go through the hearts of the soldiers of the squad. And only other hours passed until the horses of the clans attacked them from the four sides. The commander of the Turkish division was shot in the head and killed, then the artillery garrison of Tafila led by Rasim Sardasht participated, and also the machine-gun artillery led by Sobhi Al-Omari, which led to the destruction of the Turkish resistance. The squad was destroyed and only about 29 officers and 200 soldiers surrendered and captured.38Then, al-Ajlouni said, the gendarmes fled, and I came back with two Iraqi officers, one of them was Salman al-Janabi and the other was Ashraf, with a group of tribal knights including Barakat Majali.We returned back with the Turkish captives to hand them over to the headquarters of the command. Some Turkish captured officers spoke to Muhammad Ali Al-Ajlouni, saying: "What have stunned them in this battle as they fought a lot on the battle fronts, but they did not expect that the Arabs could run the war movements in such great skill," where they believed that behind this war English officers, but it turns out that there are no English officers. He says that Hamed Fakhri's mission is to retrieve the Tafila and then advance to The Shobak until another force from Maan joins him to expel all the rebels to the Gulf of Aqaba.39 On our way to Aqaba (al-Ajlouni) we camped at the site of "Ain Najl" near Shawbak and stayed there for two days, then to

36 - Memories of Al-Ajlouni, p. 60, Qadri Qalaji, Jabal al-Fada, p. 247, Suleiman al-Musa: The Arab Movement, p. 353, Mamdouhalusan, p. 59, Suleiman al-Musa, The Arab Revolution, Men Who Made History, P. 39-40, Qassim Mohammed Saleh, in the rehab of the revolution, p. 124-125, Tlass: The Great Arab Revolution, p. 239, Suleiman Qawaba: The Arab Revolution, p. 66, Saad Juma, The Arab Revolution, p. 247. 37- Al-Ajlouni: Memories, p. 60-61, Bakr Majali, military tracks of the revolution p. 85-82. 38-Al-Ajlouni: Memories, p. 60-61, Qadri Qalaji, Gil Al-Fada, p. 247-248, Mamdouh al-Russan: Wars of the Revolution, p. 59, Memoirs of Prince Zeid, Suleiman al-Musa: The Great Arab Revolution, Men Who Made History, p. 40, and Suleiman al-Musa, Emirate of East Jordan, p. 37, Qassim Mohammed Saleh: In the Rehab of the Revolution, C1, p. 125, and Bakrmajali: Military tracks of the revolution, p. 86-88, Sobhi al-Omari, The First Battles, p. 188-196, Suleiman Quaba: Revolution, p. 84+ 85, Saad Juma The Arab Revolution, p. 247. 39-Ajlouni, Memories, p. 61.

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Wadi Musa then to Petra goods to take our belongings that we left, while we were heading to Tafila, where we stayed in the goods about 18 days with Sherif Mastoor and Abdullah al-Dulaimi and some cavalry from al-Jazi, there were some Armenian immigrants, who were exiled by the Turks to the south.40 It was reported that shortly after the elimination of Hamed Fakhri's squad, that groups of German soldiers trained in guerrilla warfare, carrying grenades and machine guns, attacked Tafila in order to scare the villagers, in retaliation for those who contributed to the Battle of Tafila.41 In early November 1917, the headquarters moved from Aqaba to Al-Quwaira, then to Al-Wohaida and Abu Al-LSan, after the tribal forces, with the return of Abu Tayeh, were able to expel the enemy from al-Wohaida and Abu Al-Lsan. 42After these developments the conditions were stagnated, this stagnation caused concern among the officers after they felt that the English were stalling in providing the Army of the Revolution with weapons and equipment, especially after the victories achieved by the English army against the Fourth Turkish Army in Palestine, and what has been reported among politicians in Cairo about the secret agreement between the Allies on the sharing of Syria among them, and that the independence of the Arabs is limited to the Hijaz only.43This case led to the fact that the intellectuals of the officers were forced to manage the situation, and put the opinion to Prince Faisal and presented a letter with their signatures. They offered him their desire to enter the decisive battles with the enemy in Maan, and then advance to Damascus before the entering of the English army. The Prince responded to the request of the officers while discussions took place between the Prince and Colonel Joyce the representative of the English General Linby and attended by Commander-in-Chief Jafar Pasha Al-Askary. Lawrence also went to meet General Linby, in response to the pressures to send missions and heavy weapons to face the enemy more. Mohammed Ali Al-Ajlouni and the campaign on the iron station (Fasuua) in March 1918 Several days after these talks, the command issued a decision to prepare for a raid on a railway station south of Maan called "Fasuua", as Commander Mohammed Ali al-Ajlouni describes the news of the approval of the war saying "We have received this news with satisfaction and we were full of determination to prepare for sacrifice. After several days we marched in a battalion of infantry led by Jafar Pasha al-Askari, but the harsh nature, cold, rain, and the failure of the convoy carrying supplies, tents and coats, led to a halt , and finally this campaign failed and did not achieve its objectives, which led to the deterioration of the spirits, and the concern of the officers intensified,

40-Al-Ajlouni, Memories, p. 62.

41 -Al-Ajlouni, Memories, p. 63-64, Tlass: The Arab Revolution, p. 242. 42 -Ajlouni, Memories, p. 64. Ahmed Qadri: My Memoirs of the Great Arab Revolution, 1956, i2, Ministry of Culture, Damascus, 1993, p. 64, and Bakr Majali: Intellectual Tracks of the Revolution, p. 13-18. 43-Al-Ajlouni, Memories, p. 64.

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especially after the deterioration of the English Army from Amman when the Turkish Fourth Army attacked them and kicked them causing great lose. 44

Mohammed Ali al-Ajlouni, commander of the Infantry Company of the 2nd Brigade, and his campaign on Ghadir al-Hajj station, 8/ July 1918. The Revolutionary Army battalions started preparing for the decisive battle after quantities of heavy weapons, ammunition, means of transport and engineering detachments arrived in preparation for the main battle in Maa’n. It was decided to raid on the Al-Jardona station north of Maa’n and Ghadir al- Hajj station in the south to cut off supplies. Mohammed Ali al-Ajlouni was the commander of one of the infantry companies in the 2nd Brigade. The march was at night under the leadership of Nouri al-Saeed and with us the battery of French cannons led by Captain Pizani and the machine-gun faction, and a few hundreds of tribal knights who was with them Abu Tayeh. In the morning we surrounded the station and the artillery began firing the bombs for two hours, then the order was issued for the infantry to march on the station until they surrendered, except for one trench that continued the resistance until it was eliminated.45 Jardona First Battle (10-April-1918) Al-Jardona is one of the Turkish stations near Maa’n, in which Muhammad Ali al-Ajlouni participated, saying: A force similar to the one that raided The Hajj, raided so the Garrison of Jardona which surrendered after a simple battle, and more than (350) soldiers and officers were captured, besides some gains and machine guns.46 Semna Battle (1918) The area of Semna is one of the hills that overlook the plain west of Maan, which overlooks the entrances to the town. A Turkish police station was located there and the first squad which was led by Mouloud Mukhlas attacked Semna. Also, a tribal force of about (3,000 fighters) attacked Maan from the east to distract the garrison of Maan to send the rescues to Semna. In the fortifications of the Semna brigade there was a brigade of Turkish infantry retreated to Maan because of the inability to respond to the attack, and during the withdrawal the commander of the brigade Mukhlas Mokloud was attacked with 30 knights at the end of the withdrawal garrison. He was shot in the leg,

44 -Al-Ajlouni: Memories, p. 65-66, Suleiman al-Musa, Memoirs of Prince Zeid, p. 50, Bakr Majali: Military Tracks, p. 233-236, Zubeidi: Mouloud Mukhlas, p. 112-113, Suleiman al-Musa, Photos of the Heroism, p. 199. 45 -Al-Ajlouni, Memories, p. 67, And Nicolas Ziadeh: Revolution, p. 135-136, Mamdouh al-Rusan, p. 62, Bakr Khazer Majali: Military Tracks of the Revolution, p. 39-40 + p. 222-229, Sobhi Al-Omari: The First Battles, p. 210- 212, Zubeidi, Mouloud Mukalas, p. 116 and Suleiman al-Musa: Photos of the Heroism, p. 190 - 192. 46 -Al-Ajlouni, Memories, p. 67-68, Frederick J. Beck: History of Eastern Jordan and its Tribes, ArabBaha bahadin Tuqan, Arab House of Distribution and Publishing, Amman-Jordan, 1935, p. 272, Suleiman al-Musa, Principality of Eastern Jordan, p. 38, Bakr al-Majali, Tracks, p. 264-266, and Sobhi Al-Omari: First Battles, p. 212-215, Zubeidi, Mawloud, p116.

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and was taken to the hospital.47 After the occupation of Semna, the two armies were in a state of confrontation. Muhammad Ali al-Ajlouni and the Battle of Maan (April 11, 1918) Leader Mohammed Ali al-Ajlouni participated in the battle of Maan, where he was the commander of an infantry company in the infantry brigade of the commander-in-chief of the campaign, led by Jafar Pasha al-Askari. The preparations for this battle were great and at a technical level of high accuracy and readiness, with the difference in the situation, where the Arab army attacks in an open space, and the enemy is holed up in its trenches and behind the station that provides it.On the morning we were close to the front lines of the enemy, we exchanged shooting. of that day we supervised the enemy's front positions, the artillery exchanged missiles strongly and the bombing continued for several hours. After that we began the attack with infantry regiments on the first line, but the enemy machine guns dropped a large number of us, and we broke into the enemy trenches with bayonets until we were able to defeat them after a fierce battle, then we advanced to the second line and we were able to defeat them for the second time, and we continued to advance to the third and final line, which is no more than 300 meters away from us. 48 It was a big surprise when we saw the French artillery stop bombing the enemy.49 This helped the enemy to use machine-gun artillery, during which we suffered a large number of dead nearly half of the officers and soldiers, and the soldiers of my company fought fiercely, until some of them reached the enemy trenches, and continued to walk to the station, and the fighting remained until the evening, where I was hit in this battle by a bullet in my face and took off my right jaw. I was taken to the hospital with a number of injured officers such as Muhyidin al-Maghribi, Samir Rafee Trabelsi, Ibrahim Kamal and Saeed Al- Halabi.50The squad returned after it was about to win the Battle of Maan, but the failure of the French artillery and the clan forces that were supposed to take part in the battle and attack the station from the east, all these reasons caused our defeat in Maan.51In the meantime, Prince Faisal visited us in the hospital with an entourage, and was affected by our situation and what happened, and decided to grant the wounded of Maan battle (special military medals) and monthly salary. Prince Faisal gave me the rank (president) as a field promotion,

47-Memories of Al-Ajlouni, p. 68-69, Suleiman al-Musa: Memoirs of Prince Zeid, p. 52, Beck: History of Eastern Jordan, p. 272, Mamdouh al-Rusan, p. 62, Suleiman al-Musa, Principality of Eastern Jordan, p. 37, and Qassim Mohammed Saleh In the rehab of the revolution, c1, p. 126-127, and Tlass: The Arab Revolution, p. 243, Sobhi al- Omari, The First Battles, p. 218-219, and Zubaidi: Mouloud Mukhlas, p. 116-117. 48 -Memories of Al-Ajlouni, 69-70), and Nicolas Ziadeh: 135-136, Memoirs of Prince Zeid, p. 29-30, Suleiman al- Musa: Principality of Eastern Jordan, p. 37: Sobhi al-Omari: The First Battles, p. 218-220, and Lawrence: The Arab Revolution, p. 95,Zubeidi, Mouloud Mukhlas, p. 115-119, and Suleiman al-Musa, photos of the tournament, p. 189- 190. 49-Mamdouh al-Rusan, Wars of the Revolution, p. 63, Eidros, p. 88, Lawrence, p. 326, Qassim Mohammed Saleh: In the rehab of the revolution, C1, p. 127, and Bakr Majali: Military Tracks, p. 205-206, Sobhi al-Omari, First Battles, p. 230-231, Suleiman al-Musa, Photos of the Heroism, p. 192. 50-Ajlouni, Memories, p. 70. 51 - Al-Ajlouni: Memories, p. 70, Suleiman al-Musa: Photos of the Tournament, p. 192.

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and since the means of surgical operations were not enough, I was transferred to Cairo to have the operation with a number of officers.52 Jardona Second Battle The battle of Al-Jardona took place at the same time as we were fighting the enemy in Maan station, where I got wounded. A force consisting of two infantry brigades, an artillery troop led by Jamil al-Madfaee, and a cavalry brigade led by Ismail Nafq attacked, and the task of the Cavalry Brigade was to prevent the experiences from the station of Aniza north of Al-Jardona, and the garrison of the station surrendered after a battle that lasted a few hours, during which the commander of the cavalry Ismail Namq was wounded and then the force returned with the gains after the destruction of the station. 53 Jardona Third Battle As a result of what happened at the Al-Jardona station, the Turks prepared greatly for this battle, where they mobilized a full highly trained squad with artillery, as they reinforced their forces at The Aniza station. When the command of the revolution informed of these preparations, it was decided to add a reinforcement brigade to the infantry brigades and the cavalry brigade. But the poor planning and the failure of the brigades to arrive in its accurate time, the brigades suffered heavy losses, where a number of officers were killed as well as Major General Rashid Ali, and the second major General, Al- Sayd Taher. Also, one of the wounded was Tahseen Ali the commandant of the last brigade. The difficulty that the Army of the Revolution faced was the transfer of the wounded and the bodies of martyrs from the battlefield, so Prince Faisal ordered to retreat immediately in order to avoid further loss. For this reason, the artillery fired quick shots in order to create a cover of dust and tornadoes with the smoke of artillery to facilitate the process of withdrawal, and the transfer of the wounded and martyrs, and therefore ended the battle with a total failure, because of the above circumstances in addition to the lack of participation of tribal forces in the attack on al-Jardona station. 54 As for the reason why the tribal forces did not participate in the battle of Jardouna, al-Ajlouni mentions that "it was not the result of betrayal or cowardice, but rather the Bedouin mentality that prevented them from fighting the forts behind the entrenchments or in the trenches.55 Mohamed Ali Al-Ajlouni to Cairo for treatment After the injury of Al-Ajlouni in his face in the battle of Maan, an order was issued to transfer him because he was in need of an operation in Cairo. We were carried by the ship (Artozah), a slow-moving cargo ship, which took the

52 - Memories, p. 71, Nicolas Ziadeh, Revolution, p. 136, and Suleiman al-Musa, photos of the heroism, p. 192. 53 -Al-Ajlouni: Memories, p. 71, Suleiman al-Musa, Memoirs of Prince Zeid, p. 53, Bakr Majali: Military Tracks, p. 273-282, Tlass: Revolution, p. 243, Sobhi al-Omari, First Battles, p. 233-239. 54- Ajlouni, Memories, p. 72-73. 55-Al-Ajlouni, Memories, p. 74, Bakr Majali: Military Tracks, p. 283-294, Sobhi al-Omari, First Battles, p. 241-245.

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injuries to complications, where I was one of them where my neck was swollen and the pain intensified on us. When we arrived in the city of Suez, we had first aid, then continued to Cairo. I entered Al-Kasr Al-Aini hospital where my injury was serious, where Sheikh Fouad Al-Khatib (the Consul of Al-Hijaz) and the military attaché at the consulate in Cairo were called by the head of the hospital to inform them that I was in need to be taken to the French hospital because the necessary operation was serious, and that the surgeon who was able to do it was in this hospital. I had two operations and a month after the operation with God’s mercy, I got recovered.Then there was another month of convalescence, but for the officers, especially the officers of the revolution, al- Ajlouni” said we faced exciting troubles in Egypt, from the sight of contempt, insults or offensive words, and the Egyptians looked at us as followers of the English and enemies of the Sultan Muslims Caliphate.56After returning from Cairo, I presented Prince Faisal (a hat with a grey scarf and a small headband) which was a costume for wearing. Prince Faisal liked it, and ordered that this uniform will be the uniform of the officers of the Arab Army. We returned to the front and to our first posts in the battalions.57 After Prince Faisal drove the walking campaign to Damascus, he left his brother Prince Zeid as his deputy, and Jaafar Pasha al-Askari, commander-in-chief of the Revolutionary Army. After the declaration of the truce, the Turks collected their garrisons from Tabouk to Ktarana in Al-Ktarana, then Prince Zeid prepared himself to go north with the regular forces and headquarters. A dispute occurred between the commander of the 1st squad, Commander Qassim Raji of Iraq, and the commander of the 4th Infantry Brigade, as the commander of the brigade retired and I was hired in his place. I took the 4th Infantry Brigade and went to the north, and then Alhag Amine Husseini and Sheikh Yusuf Yassin joined us as guests in the brigade. After some days we reached Alkatrana and stayed there and I took the charge of the location till the military sectors passed from there. Taking the charge at that time was exceptional, not by rank or oldness, as the military tradition suggested for this position the officers who preside over the armed units in the same place, but temporarily, I got this appointment due to the circumstances of the revolution, and when the passage of military units in Tarana ended, and after staying there for (28 days) (says al-Ajlouni) we went to Karak, and camped at the location of (Ain Sara) in the west of Karak .Jaafar Pasha Al-Askary stayed at Tawfeek Al-Magali to supervise the direction of Karak brigade. Jaafar Pasha and we went to Amman, where Jafar Pasha was in Dar al-Mufti family, who were leaders of the Circassians in Amman. I camped at (Ras al-Ain) in the immigrants’ neighborhood, where near us camped the brigade of General Al-Hashimi led by Ismail Namik al-Baghdadi.58 Mohammed Ali Al-Ajlouni in Damascus

56 -Ajlouni, Memories, p. 76-77.

57 -Ajlouni, Memories, p. 79. 58 -Al-Ajlouni, Memories, p. 84-85.

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After these events, the Military Shura Office, headed by Yasin al-Hashimi, issued an order to the officers of the units in Amman to hand over their functions to the newly appointed officers on their way to Amman (Al-Ajlouni says) and I received the commander who will succeed me in the command of the brigade. It was Bakbashi (Kamel Bek Kaddara) who had granted me that vacation which was the start of my trip to the field of revolution. We were told at the headquarters of Jafar Pasha, that the reason of these reports was that the officers of the revolution have finished their mission, and those who were highly qualified will be appointed to military vacancies, respectively, and the rest will be sent home.59 We moved with Jafar Pasha to Damascus on the train as he was received by an official reception, and we met Al-Hashimi for the first time at the station in Damascus.60 Upon his arrival to Damascus, Muhammad Ali al-Ajlouni ends his leadership and participation in the wars of the Great Arab Revolutions in eastern Jordan, saying: "We contributed to a revolution that was the spark that ignited the enthusiasm of the nation, so it went to its freedom storm, toppled the Turkish armies, and threw its remnants outside the borders of the homeland.61 In Damascus, I was appointed commander of the Prince's Guards, and participated as a commander of the Prince's Guard force in the Battle of Maisalon, led by Yusuf Al-Azma, who wore a coat of al- Ajlouni in this battle in which he was martyred, later France entered Damascus in 1920.62 Finally, Commander Muhammad Ali al-Ajlouni returned to his village sequentially from Damascus to Ajloun, and when he heard the arrival of Prince Abdullah to Ma'an, he went with Khalaf al-Tal and Ahmed al-Tal south to Maan to continue serving the Arab case. When they arrived and met the prince, they informed him that all eastern Jordan supports him and supports his coming and his project. After several weeks the prince assigned him to accompany Sharif Ali al-Harithi from Maan to Amman in order to get to know the mood of the population, and indeed we arrived Amman in (1920). The welcoming of the people for the prince was unparalleled which convinced the prince, then prince Abdullah came to Amman and established the Emirate of Eastern Jordan in March 1921.63He remained in Jordan, where he worked in many positions until he died in 1971. Conclusion The celebration of the centenary of the Great Arab Revolution emphasizes two meanings: the first, to believe in the objectives of the noble revolution carried out by the sons of Arabism at the beginning of the last century, to

59- Al-Ajlouni: Memories, 85-86, and Suleiman al-Musa, photos of the tournament, p. 192-193.

60- Al-Ajlouni, Memories of P. 86, and Suleiman al-Musa, Photos of the Tournament, p. 193.

61 -Al-Ajlouni, Memories, p. 86-87. 62- Al-Ajlouni, Memories, p. 110, Suleiman, Photos of the Championship, p. 193, Nicolas Ziadeh, Revolution, p. 137.

63 -Nicolas Ziadeh, Revolution, p. 137, and Suleiman: Photos of the Heroism, p. 194.

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establish the values of freedom and national dignity, and the genuine renaissance of their homeland, the second meaning is the determination to link Arab history to the Arab future, the connection of Arab aspirations to Arab roots, and to consider the national struggle embodied by the Great Arab Revolution as the starting point of our struggle in the present and future, for a better life, and for a new free prosperous and just society. Our pride in history is our guarantee against distraction and loss, and our loyalty to the memory of generous and loyal figures like the hero Muhammad Ali al-Ajlouni, who generously presented for us and for our future generations, a fulfilment of our national mission and loyalty to the principles of honor and dignity.64 The dream of the heroic leaders through the Arab Revolution has become a reality, and they have demonstrated that they are ready to redeem their country with blood and spirits. The honor of honors is that our leader was one of the revolution figuers and of Maisaloon battle. What a higher medal than this medal could be, and what a greater meaning could be than this. If death took our late hero, his memory is still alive, and the Arabs will remember, who is left of the Arabs, the men of the Great Arab Revolution and the men of Maisaloon battle.

List of Sources and References 1- Ahmed Qadri: My Memoirs of the Great Arab Revolt, Ministry of Culture, Damascus, 2nd Edition, 1993 AD. 2- Bakr Khazir Al-Majali, Military Paths of the Great Arab Revolt in Jordan, Field and Documentary Study, Jordan, 2003 AD. 3- Saad Jumaa: The Great Arab Revolt (1916-1925 AD) The Publications Company for Publishing and Distribution, Lebanon, Beirut, 2nd Edition, 1994 AD. 4- Suleiman Al-Musa: The Great Arab Revolt, Men Who Made History, Ministry of Youth, Amman, 1st Edition, 1988 AD. 5- Suleiman Al-Musa: The , its emergence and development in a quarter of a century (1921-1946), publications of the Committee for the , Amman, Jordan, 1st ed., 1990 AD. 6- Suleiman Al-Mousa: Pictures from the tournament, Jordan's Ward for Publishing and Distribution, Amman, 3rd Edition, 2011 AD.

64 - by Hussein, Nicolas Ziadeh et al., T he Great Arab Revolution, Jordan, Ministry of Culture, 2011, p. 7.

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7- Suleiman Al-Musa: Prince Zaid's Memoirs, The War in Jordan (1917-1918), Jordan College Center, 2nd Edition, 1990 AD. 8- Suleiman Al-Musa, The Arab Movement (Biography of the First Stage of the Modern Arab Revival) (1908-1924 AD), Ward's Jordanian House for Publishing and Distribution, 4th Edition, 2013 AD. 9- Suleiman Qawab'a: The Great Arab Revolt, Tafila Battles, Pictures of the Tournament, Aznah for Publishing and Distribution, Amman, 1st Edition, 2008 AD. 10- Syed Ali Al Aidarous: The Hashemite Army (1908-1979), translated by Abdul Aziz Al Maaytah, Amman, 1983. 11- Subhi Al-Omari: The First Battles (Papers of the Arab Revolution) The Road to Damascus, Riyadh Al-Rayyes for Books and Publishing, London, Cyprus, 1st Edition, 1991 AD. 12- Frederick J. Beek: History of Transjordan and its Tribes, Arabization of Bahaa al-Din Toukan, Arab House for Distribution and Publishing, Amman, Jordan, 1935 AD. 13- Qasim Muhammad Salih: In the midst of the Great Arab Revolt, Part 1, Military Analytical Study, 2nd Edition, 1988 AD. 14- Qadri Qalaji: The Fida Generation, The Story of the Great Arab Revolt and the Rise of the Arabs, Dar Al-Kateb Al-Arabi, 1982 AD. 15- Lawrence, The Colonel: The Arab Revolt, Arabization of Shaban Barakat, Modern Library, Beirut, Saida, 1st Edition, 1989 AD. 16- Muhammad Hussein Al-Zubaidi: Mouloud Mukhlis Pasha and his role in the Great Arab Revolt and in the contemporary history of Iraq, (1885- 1951), Baghdad, 1989 17- Muhammad Ali Al-Ajlouni: Memories of the Great Arab Revolt, Al- Karmel Publishing House, 2nd Edition, Amman, Jordan, 2002 AD. 18- Mustafa Tlass: The Great Arab Revolt, Tlass for Studies, Translation and Publishing, Damascus, 4th Edition, 1987 AD. 19- Mamdouh Al-Rousan: The Great Arab Revolt wars in the Hijaz and the Levant (1916-1918 AD) Kanani Library, Irbid, 1986 AD. 20- Al-Dustour Newspaper website, Major General Muhammad Ali al-Ajlouni and three of his sons held the ministerial position July 2, 2009 http://www.addustour.com//.htm 21- Ajloun News Agency website on 11/30/1999 AD, the late Muhammad Ali Al-Ajlouni http://ajlounnews.net/index.php?module=articles&id=63&category=83

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22- Nicolas Ziadeh and others: The Great Arab Revolt, Ministry of Culture, Jordan, 2011 AD.

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