October 30:The Ottomans sign an armistice with the Entente allies, ending their par-
ticipation in World War I.
1919
January:Chaim Weizmann of the World Zionist Organization and Amir Faisal ibn
Hussein sign an agreement calling for cooperation between Arabs and Jews.
May 14:Greek forces land at Smyrna, on the coast of Turkey, to claim the region for
Greece. This leads to a series of battles in which Turkish nationalists under Mustafa
Kemal defeat the Greeks and gain control of all of Anatolia.
July 2:The Syrian General Congress, a meeting of Arab notables in Damascus, issues
a declaration calling for the creation of an independent Syrian state, or failing that,
temporary administration of Syrian territory by the United States.
August 18:Afghanistan declares independence from Great Britain.
September 9:Led by Mustafa Kemal, Turkish nationalists meeting in Sivas issue a dec-
laration insisting on Turkish control of all of Anatolia and the region around Istan-
bul. Their declaration later becomes the Turkish National Pact.
1920
January 28:Ottoman parliament adopts the Turkish National Pact, setting out the
proposed borders of the Turkish state.
March 11:Meeting in Damascus, the Syrian National Congress declares Faisal ibn
Hussein the ruler of Syria and Palestine.
April 24:Meeting at San Remo, the League of Nations awards mandates for Iraq and
Palestine to Britain and a mandate for Lebanon and Syria to France.
June:In Iraq, a brief but widespread revolt begins against British rule.
July 1:Britain installs Herbert Samuel as the first civilian high commissioner in Palestine.
July 24:A French army force captures Damascus and forces Faisal ibn Hussein from
the throne.
August 10:The Treaty of Sèvres is signed, stripping the Ottoman Empire of its Arab
provinces and portions of Anatolia and placing Istanbul and the strategic straits
under international control.
August:The French high commissioner in Damascus creates “Greater Lebanon” by
separating the Mount Lebanon region from Syria and annexing to Lebanon the
coastal regions of Beirut and Tripoli.
1921
February 22:Reza Khan, an army commander, seizes power in Iran.
March 15:A British government conference in Cairo results in the appointment
of Faisal ibn Hussein as king of Iraq and Abdallah ibn Hussein as amir of
Transjordan.
1922
February 28:Britain ends its protectorate over Egypt but in a declaration known as
the Four Reserved Points retains control of matters related to communications links,
security, the protection of foreigners, and the future of Sudan.
March 15:Britain recognizes Egypt as an independent country under King Fuad.
July 24:The Council of the League of Nations approves the mandates under which
654 CHRONOLOGY OF THE MIDDLE EAST, 1914–2007