the arab revolt concluded four centuries of ottoman control of arab lands. the arab lands included areas from syria and mesopotamia, to yemen and north africa, with the exception of morocco. in arab historiography, the revolt was the arrival of an ‘arab awakening’ which had progressed for some time. the relationship between the arabs and the turks can be seen as amicable from the ottoman conquest in 1517 until the late stages of sultan abdul hamid ii’s reign. in an example of their good relationship, the arabs regarded the ottoman sultan-caliph as the defender of their faith, islam.