Battle of Maysalun 1920
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 24 July 1920 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1920 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
| Era | Interwar (1919–1938) | derived from year |
| Location | Syria | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Asia | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Franco-Syrian War | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | Arab Kingdom of Syria, French Third Republic | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 33.5956, 36.0647 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Maysalun (Arabic: معركة ميسلون), also known as the Battle of Maysalun Pass or the Battle of Khan Maysalun (French: Bataille de Khan Mayssaloun), was a four-hour battle fought between the forces of the Arab Kingdom of Syria and the French Army of the Levant on 24 July 1920 near Maysalun in the Anti-Lebanon Mountains, about 25 kilometres (16 mi) west of Damascus.
In October 1918, Arab rebels, under Hashemite Emir Faisal, captured Damascus during the British-backed Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire. Faisal then formed a government under the auspices of the Allied military occupation administration of "OETA East", consistent with an earlier Anglo-French agreement. The French encountered local revolts when their forces entered the country, and in March 1920, Faisal was proclaimed King of Syria. A month later, the League of Nations allocated Syria to France as a mandate.
The Battle of Maysalun ensued as French forces set out from Lebanon to assert control over Damascus and topple Faisal's government. With remnants of the Syrian army and local volunteers, Faisal's war minister, General Yusuf al-Azma, set out to confront them. The better-equipped French troops, led by General Mariano Goybet, defeated al-Azma, who was killed in action.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Maysalun (revision 1370449372), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; shortened by selecting paragraphs and trimming at a sentence boundary; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
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