Maysalun
Introduction


**Maysalun** () is a mountainous region in southwestern [Syria](/wiki/Syria "Syria") located on the eastern slopes of the [Anti\-Lebanon Mountains](/wiki/Anti-Lebanon_Mountains "Anti-Lebanon Mountains") about 12 kilometers west of [Damascus](/wiki/Damascus "Damascus"), in the [Rif Dimashq Governorate](/wiki/Rif_Dimashq_Governorate "Rif Dimashq Governorate") and has an [elevation](/wiki/Elevation "Elevation") of about 1090 meters. The area is situated on the ancient route between [Damascus](/wiki/Damascus "Damascus") and [Lebanon](/wiki/Lebanon "Lebanon") and has long been famous for its *[khans](/wiki/Caravanserai "Caravanserai")* and rest\-stops. The closest town in the area is [al\-Dimas](/wiki/Al-Dimas "Al-Dimas").

Maysalun is enshrined in [Syrian history](/wiki/History_of_Syria "History of Syria") as the last stand of the short\-lived [Arab Kingdom of Syria](/wiki/Arab_Kingdom_of_Syria "Arab Kingdom of Syria"), which was ruled by [King Faisal](/wiki/Faisal_I_of_Iraq "Faisal I of Iraq"). The kingdom briefly controlled Syria after the Ottomans left and before the French took over control of Syria in the aftermath of the [First World War](/wiki/First_World_War "First World War"). On 24 July 1920, a group of 2,000 Syrian volunteers gathered at the caravansary of Maysalun. There they faced the [French Army](/wiki/French_Army "French Army"), which drew on troops from its [colonial territories](/wiki/French_colonial_empire "French colonial empire"), meaning Senegalese, Algerian, and Moroccan men made up the force. [Yusuf al\-'Azma](/wiki/Yusuf_al-%27Azma "Yusuf al-'Azma"), the Minister of War, died in the fighting. After the French forces defeated the Syrian defenders, they moved on to Damascus, where they began a 26\-year occupation of the country. The [Battle of Maysalun](/wiki/Battle_of_Maysalun "Battle of Maysalun") lingers in Syrian memory more broadly as symbol of, in the words of historian [Eugene Rogan](/wiki/Eugene_Rogan "Eugene Rogan"), "the betrayal of Britain's wartime promises, the bankruptcy of U.S. president Woodrow Wilson's vision of national [self\-determination](/wiki/Self-determination "Self-determination"), and the triumph of British and French colonial self\-interest over the hopes and aspirations of millions of Arabs."


What are the implications of the Battle of Maysalun for regional politics?