The Sinai Bedouins and the Ottoman army in World War I

Abstract

ABSTRACT Though forming having taken an active part in the Sinai and Palestine campaigns of the World War I, the Bedouin tribes are rarely mentioned. This is due in part to the scarcity of documentation, especially having none from the Bedouins themselves. This article seeks to fill in some of the gaps in the research on the war in the Sinai Peninsula and southern Palestine, and to examine the contribution of the Bedouin tribes in that area to the Ottoman military campaign. It argues that the Ottoman perception of the Bedouins as a fighting force changed during the war from being seen as force multiplier to being employed only in scout and reconnaissance roles.