39th issue of Al Qibla distributed today

AMMAN — A reprint of the 39th issue of Al Qibla newspaper, the mouthpiece of the Great Arab Revolt, is distributed with today’s Jordan Times issue. 

The newspaper, which was being printed in Mecca a century ago, dedicated its editorial to criticising the Istanbul government on the  failure to meet the aspirations of the subjects of the Ottoman Empire and wasting the remaining assets of the state in the war, citing a series of defeats the Turkish army had in more than one front.

The paper noted that King Hussein Bin Ali made contacts with the Turkish rulers and advised them against entering the war, but they did not listen and paved through their alliance with Germany the way for the ally to take control of the empire. 

The second page was divided between local news in Hijaz and the situation in Medina, where the Turks were still in control, describing the dire situation in Islam’s second holiest city.   

Page three in the four-sheet paper carried news of Turkish defeats in Sinai and Anatolia, while the back page was dedicated to a lengthy coverage and commentary on developments in WWI, especially the talk of negotiations between the warring parties to end the war.  

The distribution of the paper (1916-1924) by The Jordan Times and other local dailies is part of celebrations of the centennial of the Great Arab Revolt.