Imperial Ottoman 🇹🇷 Regimental Standard presented to the defenders of Gaza, who repulsed the 1st British attack on Gaza c. 1917 during WWI - swipe for the colorized version
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The Ottomans eventually lost the war in the Middle East, resulting in the colonization of the region by the French and English, the creation of the British Mandate of Palestine, and ultimately the creation of Israel. Among the biggest “what-ifs” in history is what if the Arabs (primarily the Sharifs of Mecca and Medina) never turned their back on the Ottomans in exchange for a unified Arab state.
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Would we have a unified Arab state? If not, what would the borders of the region look like?
Would Wahhabism have been kept in check? If so, would we still have all the early Islamic heritage sites that were destroyed by the Wahhabis’ (incl. the Prophet’s home, countless tombs, and mosques)?
Would Israel never have been created? If so, would the countless wars in the region including the Lebanese Civil war never have happened?