Portland State University Middle East Studies Center

History of Geography: The Modern Middle East and North Africa

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Firstly- England will acknowledge the

independence of the Arab countries,

bounded on the north by Mersina and

Adana up to the 37th degree of

latitude, on which degree fall Birijik,

Urfa, Mardin, Midiat, Jezirat (Ibn

'Umar), Amadia, up to the border of

Persia; on the east by the borders of

Persia up to the Gulf of Basra; on the

south by the Indian Ocean, with the

exception of the position of Aden to

remain as it is; on the west by the Red

Sea, the Mediterranean Sea up to

Mersina. England to approve the

proclamation of an Arab Khalifate of

Islam.

Translation of a letter from Sharif Husayn of Mecca to Sir Henry McMahon, His Majesty’s

High Commissioner at Cairo, July 14, 1915

The Hussein-McMahon Correspondence: 1915 http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/hussmac1.html

Amadia

The Hussein-McMahon Correspondence: 1915 http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/hussmac1.html

The two districts of Mersina and Alexandretta and portions of Syria lying to the west of the districts of

Damascus, Homs, Hama and Aleppo cannot be said to be purely Arab, and should be excluded from the

limits demanded...I am empowered in the name of the Government of Great Britain to give the following

assurances and make the following reply to your letter:

1. Subject to the above modifications, Great Britain is prepared to recognize and support the independence of

the Arabs in all the regions within the limits demanded by the Sherif of Mecca.

2. Great Britain will guarantee the Holy Places against all external aggression and will recognise their

inviolability. 3. When the situation admits, Great Britain will give to the Arabs

her advice and will assist them to establish what may appear to be

the most suitable forms of government in those various

territories.

4. On the other hand, it is understood that the Arabs have

decided to seek the advice and guidance of Great Britain only,

and that such European advisers and officials as may be required

for the formation of a sound form of administration will be

British.

5. With regard to the vilayets of Bagdad and Basra, the Arabs will

recognise that the established position and interests of Great

Britain necessitate special administrative arrangements in order to

secure these territories from foreign aggression, to promote the

welfare of the local populations and to safeguard our mutual

economic interests.

It is accordingly understood between the French and British governments:

1. That France and Great Britain are prepared to recognize and protect an independent Arab states or a

confederation of Arab states (a) and (b) marked on the annexed map, under the suzerainty of an Arab

chief. That in area (a) France, and in area (b) Great Britain, shall have priority of right of enterprise and

local loans. That in area (a) France, and in area (b) Great Britain, shall alone supply advisers or foreign

functionaries at the request of the Arab state or confederation of Arab states.

The Sykes-Picot Agreement: 1916 (http://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/sykes.asp)

2. That in the blue area France, and

in the red area Great Britain, shall be

allowed to establish such direct or

indirect administration or control as

they desire and as they may think fit

to arrange with the Arab state or

confederation of Arab states.

3. That in the brown area there shall

be established an international

administration, the form of which is

to be decided upon after consultation

with Russia, and subsequently in

consultation with the other allies, and

the representatives of the Shereef of

Mecca.

Balfour Declaration, 1917

November 2nd, 1917

Dear Lord Rothschild,

I have much pleasure in conveying to you, on behalf of His Majesty's Government, the following

declaration of sympathy with Jewish Zionist aspirations which has been submitted to, and approved

by, the Cabinet.

"His Majesty's Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the

Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being

clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of

existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any

other country."

I should be grateful if you would bring this declaration to the knowledge of the Zionist Federation.

Yours sincerely,

Arthur James Balfour

http://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/balfour.asp

I. In Europe, the frontiers of Turkey will be laid down as follows…

II. In Asia, the frontiers of Turkey will be laid down as follows:

1. On the West and South: From the entrance of the Bosphorus into the Sea of Marmora to a point described below, situated in

the eastern Mediterranean Sea in the neighbourhood of the Gulf of Alexandretta near Karatash Burun the Sea of Marmora, the

Dardanelles, and the Eastern Mediterranean Sea; the islands of the Sea of Marmora, and those which are situated within a

distance of 3 miles from the coast, remaining Turkish, subject to the provisions of Section IV and Articles 84 and 122, Part III.

2. With Syria: From a point to be chosen on the eastern bank of the outlet of the Hassan Dede, about 3 kilometres north-west

of Karatash Bu- run, north-eastwards to a point to be chosen on the Djaihun Irmak about 1 kilometre north of Babeli, a line to

be fixed on the ground passing north of Karatash; thence to Kesik Kale, the course of the Djaihun Irmak upstream; thence

north-eastwards to a point to be chosen on the Djaihun Irmak about 15 kilometres east-southeast of Karsbazar, a line to be fixed

on the ground passing north of Kara Tepe; thence to the bend in the Djaihun Irmak situated west of Duldul Dagh, the course of

the Djaihun Irmak upstream; thence in a general south-easterly direction to a point to be chosen on Emir Musi Dagh about 15

kilometres south-south-west of Giaour Geul a line to be fixed on the ground at a distance of about 18 kilometres from the

railway, and leaving Duldul Dagh to Syria; thence eastwards to a point to be chosen about 5 kilometres north of Urfa a generally

straight line from west to east to be hxed on the ground passing north of the roads connecting the towns of Bagh- che, Aintab,

Biridjik, and Urfa and leaving the last three named towns to Syria; thence eastwards to the south-western extremity of the bend

in the Tigris about 6 kilometres north of Azekh (27 kilometres west of Djezire-ibn-Omar), a generally straight line from west to

east to be fixed on the ground leaving the town of Mardin to Syria; thence to a point to be chosen on the Tigris between the

point of confluence of the Khabur Su with the Tigris and the bend in the Tigris situated about 10 kilometres north of this point,

the course of the Tigris downstream, leaving the island on which is situated the town of Djezire-ibn-Omar to Syria.

3. With Mesopotamia: Thence in a general easterly direction to a point to be chosen on the northern boundary of the vilayet of

Mosul, a line to be fixed on the ground; thence eastwards to the point where it meets the frontier between Turkey and Persia, the

northern boundary of the vilayet of Mosul, modified, however, so as to pass south of Amadia.

4. On the East and the North East: From the point above defined to the Black Sea, the existing frontier between Turkey and

Persia, then the former frontier between Turkey and Russia, subject to the provisions of Article 89.

Treaty of Sevres: 1920 http://www.hri.org/docs/sevres/

The Treaty was signed between the Allied and Associated Powers and Turkey at Sevres on August 10, 1920.

Treaty of Sevres: 1920 http://www.hri.org/docs/sevres/ The Treaty was signed between the Allied and

Associated Powers and Turkey at Sevres on

August 10, 1920.

ARTICLE 95.

The High Contracting Parties agree to

entrust, by application of the provisions of

Article 22, the administration of Palestine,

within such boundaries as may be

determined by the Principal Allied Powers,

to a Mandatory to be selected by the said

Powers. The Mandatory will be responsible

for putting into effect the declaration

originally made on November 2, 1917, by

the British Government, and adopted by the

other Allied Powers, in favour of the

establishment in Palestine of a national

home for the Jewish people, it being clearly

understood that nothing shall be done

which may prejudice the civil and religious

rights of existing non-Jewish communities in

Palestine, or the rights and political status

enjoyed by Jews in any other country.

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