Akaba. The Great Arab Revolution of 1916. A Badge of National Pride

For those of us of a certain age, Akaba (or Aqaba) brings us memories of the David Lean film "Lawrence of Arabia" where the taking of Akaba by the Arabs was one of the central highlights of the film. This book tells the real story of the revolution started by Grand Sharif Hussein on June 10th 1916 from a balcony in Mecca, by raising his rifle and firing the first shot of the revolution. Whilst the title of the book purports it to be about the taking of Akaba in August 1917, the story encompasses the revolution itself, and its unhappy outcome.