Battle of Maysalun

Battle of Maysalun معركة ميسلون
Part of the Franco-Syrian War
Henri Gouraud on horseback inspecting his French troops at Maysalun
Date July 23, 1920 Location Maysalun Pass, Anti-Lebanon mountains (Syria) Result French victory
Belligerents
France	Syria
Commanders and leaders
Henri Gouraud	Yusuf al-Azmah†
Strength
9,000[citation needed] (includes tanks and airplanes)	3,000[citation needed] (older light equipment)
Casualties and losses
42 dead and 154 injured	400 dead

The Battle of Maysalun (Arabic: معركة ميسلون‎), also called The Battle of Maysalun Pass, took place between Syrian and French forces about 12 miles west of Damascus near the town of Maysalun on July 23, 1920.

Background

Main article: French mandate of Syria

The battle occurred when the French moved to topple the newly proclaimed nationalist government under King Faisal. An independent Kingdom of Syria had recently been proclaimed after an Arab army, which included British colonel T. E. Lawrence, defeated the Ottomans and captured Damascus. However, as a result of negotiations between the western powers at the San Remo conference, and the secret Sykes-Picot Agreement between Britain and France, the French were given a mandate (August 1920) over Syria by the League of Nations, which Faisal and his government refused to recognize. Faisal also refused to recognize Lebanese independence from Greater Syria. The French had set up the republic on the remnants of a former Ottoman Christian-majority autonomous province. The French forces advanced out of Beirut, led by General Gouraud. Some Maronite Lebanese reportedly fought on the French side, unwilling to join a Muslim-dominated Kingdom of Syria.

Syrian soldiers at Maysalun.

Understanding the futility of opposing the French forces, King Faisal submitted to the French and fled to Iraq where he was made ruler of the Kingdom of Iraq by the British. However, Syrian defense minister General Yusuf al-Azmah, who was 36 years old at the time, insisted that Syrians could not allow the French to enter unopposed. He led a small force from Damascus, which consisted of a few hundred regular soldiers from the newly formed army and some hastily-summoned citizen volunteers on what was essentially a suicide mission. The French forces under the command of General Mariano Goybet easily defeated the Syrian forces. Yusuf al-Azmah was killed in the battle. He is remembered in Syria today as a martyr who died in the cause of Syrian independence. A statue of him now resides at the center of one of the largest squares in Damascus. The battle ushered in the new era of French colonialism and led to more revolts in Northern Syria and Damascus.

See also

• Greater Syria
• King of Syria

Further reading

• Sami M. Moubayed, The Politics of Damascus 1920–1946. Urban Notables and the French Mandate (Dar Tlass, 1999)
• M. Shakir, Islamic History