1915 uprising in Karbala
Arab uprising against the Ottoman Empire
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The 1915 uprising in Karbala was an Arab uprising against the Ottoman Empire that took place in June 1915.
changes Ottomans ousted from Karbala
| 1915 uprising in Karbala | |||||||||
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| Part of the Mesopotamian campaign | |||||||||
Aerial view of Karbala, 1918 | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
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Rebels
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 Ottoman Empire | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| No centralized leadership |
Unknown | ||||||||
  Location within Iraq | |||||||||
Background
Earlier, the Ottoman defeat in the Battle of Shaiba had damaged the authority of the Ottomans in the eyes of the Arabs,[1] and this was exacerbated by the successful ousting of the Ottomans in an uprising in Najaf, which showed the residents of Karbala the potency of a revolt, which they were willing to participate in since the Ottomans had been plundering food, money, and possessions from Karbalans to support the war effort.[2] Emissaries from Najaf had also begun encouraging an uprising in Karbala.[3] The successful ousting of the Ottomans in Najaf had also turned a potential revolt into a matter of civic pride: popular rhetoric included questions such as "Are the people of Najaf better than us, or braver, or more manly?".[4]
Uprising
The uprising began on 27 June 1915,[5] when the Bani Hasan tribe attacked government buildings in Karbala.[6] Ottoman deserters were also amongst the rebels.[4] The rebel tribesmen, lacking any centralized leadership,[2] burned municipal buildings, government schools, a hospital, and 200 dwellings in the suburbs, most of them belonging to Persians living and trading in the Arab community.[5] Charles R. H. Tripp notes that although the uprising was anti-Ottoman in a broad sense, it was not in support of the British war effort and instead intended to grant the city higher administrative autonomy.[7] The uprising ended with an Ottoman withdrawal, securing a rebel victory and Karbala's independence from the Ottoman Empire.[6]
Aftermath
After becoming independent from the Ottoman Empire, Karbala turned into a place of refuge for Ottoman deserters.[6] However, Karbala suffered from a lack of centralized leadership, and was unable to establish contact with the British forces to the south due to tribes still loyal to the Ottoman Empire separating them.[6] The Ottoman Empire re-established control of Karbala in 1916 following their victory in the Siege of Kut.[6]