10 little-known facts about Lawrence of Arabia - the English intelligence agent who raised the Arabs against the Turks

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Most people know him from David Lean's 1962 film Lawrence of Arabia, as the hero and leader of the Arab uprising Thomas Edward Lawrence was a much more complex and intriguing character than many people are used to perceive him as. His individualism, eccentricity, and intelligence have brought trials and tribulations to Thomas that most people would never have imagined. Here are 10 interesting facts about Lawrence of Arabia, which are not told in the movies.

1. He was short

Lawrence was a short man, but the height of Peter O'Toole, who portrayed him in the 1962 film, was a whopping 188 centimeters. In fact, the famous officer was only 165 centimeters tall, which is why he was known as a "short man" among his colleagues. However, Lawrence (according to surviving reports) had amazing stamina and was incredibly strong.

2. He could be gay

Lawrence's sexual orientation is still the subject of constant speculation. Some argue that his proposal to marry Janet Laurie (who was an old family friend) is proof that he was heterosexual. Presumably, he also had a mistress to whom he secretly regularly sent money. Others argue that Lawrence was most likely gay, especially given his close relationship with the Arab boy Dahum. Dahum is often seen as Lawrence's "personal motive" for participating in the "desert rebellion" that Lawrence mentioned in his book The Seven Pillars of Wisdom.

3. He built a house in his family's garden

A great example of Lawrence being an extraordinary person is when he built himself a bungalow right in his family's garden. When Lawrence was a student, he was an outspoken introvert who spent little time with his classmates. The boy grew up with four brothers and parents in a relatively small Victorian house. At one point, Lawrence and his father built a small one-story house for him in the garden, where the young man could work in peace, away from his brothers and other distractions. During his stay in this bungalow, he somehow spent 45 hours without food or sleep, fascinated by books.

4. He contributed to the emergence of explosives in the Middle East

In 2016, everyone is familiar with the use of improvised explosive devices by suicide bombers in the Middle East. Lawrence may have played a large role in helping terrorists learn about these tactics. Together with a man named Herbert Garland, Lawrence began to massively use explosives to destroy Turkish railway lines in Arabia. This strategy was devastating and contributed to the success of the uprising. His brilliant ideas were used by Vietnamese generals during the war with America. Since then, they have been copied by revolutionary groups and terrorists around the world.

5. He single-handedly traveled all over Syria

As a young man, Lawrence decided to go through Syria alone and when he turned 21, he traveled over 1,600 kilometers on foot through the desert, visiting many of the oldest cities in the world. The main reason for this trip was that he studied to be a historian and spent a lot of time photographing and studying Crusader castles. However, Lawrence not only studied ancient castles during his travels, but also learned a lot about the political and geographical conditions of the region and the customs of the local population. He also learned to speak Arabic. His life experience in Syria was subsequently invaluable in helping the Arab uprising.

6. He was born out of wedlock

Illegitimate children in the Victorian era have always been considered a disgrace to their parents. But that was exactly the kind of child that Lawrence was. His father, Sir Thomas Chapman, left his wife and four daughters in love with the governess Sarah Janner. As a result, Sarah gave the child the surname Lawrence, deeply outraging the patriarchal Victorian society, in which it was customary to give children the name of their father. Since Chapman never divorced his first wife, the Lawrence family constantly moved to avoid embarrassment. As a result, all five sons were born in different countries. Thomas Edward Lawrence was born in Wales, raised in England, his mother was Scottish and his father was half Irish.

7. He lied about torture

In Seven Pillars of Wisdom, Lawrence wrote about being captured, tortured and sexually abused by Turkish soldiers. These events, which allegedly took place in Deraa, were reproduced in the film by David Lean. However, some people argue that this was entirely invented by Lawrence for a variety of reasons, both political and personal. Lawrence's diary during the war indicates that he was far from Deraa when he was allegedly tortured. However, it is known that torture and sexual assault were common practices in the Ottoman Empire, especially against captured officers such as Lawrence.

8. He was a polyglot

After Lawrence allegedly learned to read at the age of four, he began to study Latin at six. By the age of 30, he was fluent in French, German, Greek, Arabic, Turkish, Syrian, English and Latin. He translated Homer's Odyssey from Ancient Greek into English. Lawrence was also part of the Arab delegation during the conclusion of the Treaty of Versailles after the First World War, acting as an interpreter between various heads of state.

9. He was a pioneer of photography

Few people know that Lawrence was an avid photographer. Inspired by his father, Lawrence has photographed literally everything around him throughout his life. Some of his photographs were very important, as the British officer and traveler was eventually recruited into a project to photograph and map undiscovered territories in Palestine. Even after he joined the RAF, Lawrence developed new techniques for photographing aircraft.

10. He hated being famous

Lawrence simply hated his fame and media attention. He was widely praised as one of the heroes of the First World War. Lawrence became arguably the world's first media celebrity as the press continued to write about him. However, he didn't want all that glory and even joined the RAF under a fake name to hide from the crowd. But within a few months the press found him there as well.

The reason for this aversion to popularity, modern researchers believe, was his deep sense of guilt about his own achievements. As was clear from his letters, he thought the Arab revolt was a complete failure. Thus, he considered himself a failure, despite the fact that public opinion was different.

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