Syria fell to the Ottoman Empire in 1516; the latter's rule over
Syria lasted four centuries which ended in 1918. The British
that occupied Egypt falsely and hypocritically promised the
Arabs military support along with liberty and full independence
from the Ottomans, if the Arabs sided with them in World War I.
Under this promise and the violent policy by the Ottomans of
Turkification, the Arabs revolted in 1916. By 1918, the Arabs
with British support achieved their goal and entered Damascus .
Victory did not come cheap; on May 6, 1916 tens of Syrian
nationals were hanged by the Ottomans in Damascus and Beirut .
Those brave men are still remembered in Syria and Lebanon by
National Holidays known as Martyrs' Day . In 1918, Syria was
declared an independent kingdom under the rule of King Faisal I,
son of Sharif Hussein of Mecca; famous for the Hussein-McMahon
Letters which had promised the Arabs independence. Unfortunately
for the Arabs, France , Britain and the Tsar's Russia had their
own secret plans for th