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The Collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the Partition of the Middle East, 1879–1919

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An image of the Flag Of The Arab Revolt

The personal and professional papers of Sir Mark Sykes, 1879–1919

The Jews seem... loyally pro-British. Naturally they want deeds and acts to show that the Balfour declaration is not just a scrap of paper
Gilbert Clayton,  British Army Intelligence

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Re-drawing the Middle East, the creation of Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Iraq.

An image of the Sykes–Picot Agreement, showing the partition of the Middle East on a map.

This collection is drawn from the personal papers of Mark Sykes (1879-1919), a politician and diplomatic advisor famous for his role in the partition of the Middle East around the period of the First World War. He is best known for his role in the Sykes-Picot Agreement of 1916, which was a secret treaty between European powers that divided up the Ottoman Empire in the face of its impending collapse.

In addition to material related to the Sykes-Picot Agreement, the papers focus on Sykes’ experience in military intelligence and diplomacy in the Middle East, both before and during the First World War. This includes touching on such historic events like the Armenian genocide as well as international debates around Zionism and the creation of a Jewish homeland. As an avid explorer, of a more personal nature are his notebooks, which offer an insight into the experience of an aristocratic traveler in the Middle East during the early 20th century.

Contents

The Collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the Partition of the Middle East, 1879–1919...

The personal and professional papers of Sir Mark Sykes, 1879–1919

Discover 
An image of the Ottoman declaration of Jihad, 1914. People are gathered on a balcony wearing hats with the Ottoman flag on. In the middle is a podium where someone is speaking whilst holding a piece of paper.

Highlights

Section of a handwritten journal.

Licensed to access Pre-war travelogue of Mark Sykes, 1906

A personal notebook written by Mark Sykes documenting his journey across the then Ottoman Empire from modern day Sinop, Turkey, to Aleppo, Syria.
Black text reading War Committee. Meeting held at 10, Downing Street on Thursday, December 16 1915, at 11:30 AM. Evidence of Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Mark Sykes, Bart, M. P., on the Arab Question.

Licensed to access War Committee report on the ‘Arab Question’, 1915

Insights provided to the War Committee by Mark Sykes on the complex political situation in the Middle East. Includes early ruminations on the possibility of an Anglo-French agreement, which could be the origins of the Sykes-Picot Agreement.
Section of a document titled Recommendations, featuring a section titled General Policy.

Licensed to access Reports from the Arabian Peninsula, 1917

Observations by Mark Sykes related to the ongoing political and military situation on the Arabian Peninsula. Material recorded during his tour along the Red Sea to various port towns and cities.
Section of a typed copy of a letter addressed to Mark Sykes, dated 16 April 1918.

Licensed to access Reports and correspondence on the situation in Palestine, 1918

Material which documents the military and political situation in Palestine, including emerging unrest related to the Balfour Agreement and conflict between Jewish and Arab communities.

Insights

  • During the 19th century, the sprawling Ottoman Empire, which had dominated the Middle East for many centuries, was in its death spiral as a political entity.

  • Mark Sykes, whose papers form the basis of this collection, was the son of a British aristocrat and regularly travelled across the Ottoman Empire with his father.

  • Western colonial powers, such as Great Britain and France, had a strong interest in assuming de facto control of Ottoman territory in the Middle East through ‘spheres of influence.’
  • Sykes first worked as an assistant to Lord Kitchener during the First World War and would go on to play a decisive role in the international politics of the Middle East.
  • Sykes’ influence stretches to both the Sykes-Picot Agreement, which formed the basis for the colonial partition of the Middle East by France and Britain, as well as the Balfour Declaration, in which the British government formally backed the establishment of a “national home for the Jewish people.”
  • Whilst in France as part of the British contingent of the Paris Peace Conference, Sykes succumbed to ‘Spanish Flu’ and passed away.
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