Lawrence’s Map Deception

The episode “The Extra” reveals that in 1914, Thomas Edward Lawrence produced maps of Sinai under the guise of historical research, but the maps marked routes, wells, and locations useful to the British army’s movements against the Ottomans. Britain promised Sharif Hussein Arab independence in exchange for a revolt against the Ottomans, while secretly agreeing with France in the Sykes–Picot Agreement to divide their spheres of influence. Lawrence learned of the agreement in late 1916 but concealed it from Prince Faisal and continued fighting. The episode concludes that Lawrence helped keep the agreement secret, and that the promises ultimately gave way to British and French domination of the region, before Lawrence’s death in 1935.

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