The Last Emir of Mecca, Şerif Ali Haydar Pasha, Tells How Did the Ottoman Empire Lose Arabia?

Şerif Ali Haydar Pasha is the last emir of Mecca appointed by the Ottoman Empire. He is not as well-known in Turkey as his distant cousin, Şerif Hüseyin, who started the Arab revolt, and his sons. He remained loyal to the Ottoman Empire and the Turkish nation throughout his life, and even kept his diaries in Turkish. During the Arab Revolt, many disasters befell him due to his loyalty to the Ottoman Empire and the sacrifices he made. While many of his cousins became kings of the Arab states that were later established with British support, he suffered various sufferings and died in misery in Beirut. The pasha, who also served as an officer in the Ministry of Foundations and the Parliament, is one of the grandchildren of Şerif Bereket, who sent sacred relics to Yavuz Sultan Selim and accepted the sultan as the caliph. He personally went to Medina and fought alongside Fahreddin Pasha against Sharif Hussein and his men, arguing that the Arabs could not live in peace unless they were under Turkish rule.

The Last Emir of Mecca is a very important book, not only because it is the memoir of Şerif Ali Haydar Pasha, but also because it reflects the chaos of the last period of the Ottoman Empire. The pasha was born during the reign of Abdulaziz II. Since he attended the palace school with the princes during the reign of Abdulhamid, he provides information about the dynasty. Since he spent his childhood in various mansions in Istanbul, the book contains information about the life of that period. He talks about the conflicts within the government after taking office. It describes the activities of the Unionists during 1908, the 31 March Incident and the First World War. After the exile of Mithat Pasha II. Abdulhamid's reforms, from the 1908 Revolution to Vahdeddin's leaving the country, from the steps taken for the Arab regions to how the Arab revolt began, from how Arabia was taken over from the Ottomans to what attitude the Republican administration adopted towards this region, how the sultanate and caliphate were abolished. It provides a wide range of historical information, from how Ibn Saud and the Wahhabis captured Mecca and Medina.

The Last Emir of Mecca, in terms of its content, also has the feature of being a first-hand source about the Ottoman loss of Arabia.

(From the Promotional Bulletin)

Dough Type: 2nd Dough

Size: 13.5 x 21

First Print Year: 2018

Number of Printings: 1st Edition

Original Title: A Prince of Arabia: The Emir Shereef Ali Haider