The Archdiocese of Petra and Philadelphia and the Hashemite Emirate of Transjordan. Modern history and ecclesial identity

In 1914, Istanbul’s decision to go to war against the Entente – the Franco- British alliance – alongside the Central Powers’ armies was the last political act of an empire that ruled unchallenged for almost four centuries over three different continents. Between 1915 and 1918, the Holy Land became a major battlefield in which the Franco-British colonial forces and the tribes of the Arab Revolt led by the Hashemites clashed with the Ottoman troops up to the conquest of Damascus. The land of Transjordan, unlike Palestine, which was directly affected by the fighting, was more involved in terms of logistics rather than military activities. Transjordan, as a natural passageway between Syria, Palestine and Hejaz allowed Istanbul to supply its troops.1 Accordingly, when Allenby’s military expedition crossed the Jordan River and the Arab Revolt took the port of ̈Aqaba, starting to move within the region, the Ottoman army quickly withdrew from the Bilad al-Sham and Damascus fell in few months. Despite the different involvement of Palestine and Transjordan, the population of the Holy Land was equally affected by the war, with particular regard to the Christians.