Lawrence became interested in the Middle East during his studies of archaeology and medieval architecture at Jesu College, Oxford. In 1909, he travelled to Palestine and Syria on arachaeological expeditions and from 1911 to 1914, participated in another expedition to the Euphrates valley. He published The Wilderness of Zin (1915), which described his visits to the Sinai and Suez. He was commissioned in the British army in 1914 and served in the Middle East until the conclusion of the war in 1919. During this time, Lawrence led a revolt against Turkey, who was then a German ally, the exploits of which he described in Seven Pillars of Wisdom (1926). He became known as Lawrence of Arabia for his exploits, but as importantly for his love of Arabia and the Arab cause, which he continued to strive for well after the war was finished. Lawrence took part in further military campaigns in the Middle East during 1922 and from 1923 to 1935, until his life was cut short in an accident while on leave in the UK. |
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