THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



329 



Photograph from C. W. Whitehair 



GENERAL VON FA^KENHAYN AND DJEMAL, PASHA LEAVING THE MOSQUE OP OMAR 



IN JERUSALEM 



This is one of the numerous official Turkish photographs which fell into the hands of the 

 British following their successful "Palestine push." There is no more formidable fighting 

 man in the world than the Turk, and Germany sent some of her ablest officers to the Near 

 East to organize and direct the operations of the Ottoman troops against the British ; but the 

 triumph of General Allenby's men was complete. 



In the entire campaign, every ^gallon of 

 water had to be brought from the River 

 Nile by means of pipes. The water was 

 stored in great reservoirs prior to being 

 filtered for the troops. 



It was not only necessary to bring the 

 Nile water hundreds of miles for the 

 army, but in many instances water had to 

 be furnished to the captured civilian pop- 

 ulation along the line of march, due to 

 the fact that the Turks destroyed the 

 wells as they retreated. 



But, in spite of heat, thirst, the diffi- 

 culties of transport, and the combined 

 Turkish and German resistance, the Brit- 

 ish forces moved slowly forward until 

 they reached the strong enemy line 

 stretching from Gaza to Beersheba. It 

 was at this juncture in the operations that 

 General Allenby, in June, 19 17, came out 



from France, took over the command, 

 and began the " Palestine push." 



The success of the whole campaign 

 very largely centered around the railroad,, 

 which was constructed mile by mile as, 

 the army moved forward. Much of it 

 had to be built under constant fear of 

 aerial bombardment. But probably no- 

 railroad has carried as large an amount of 

 freight in the same length of time, for alii 

 the food, munitions, guns, and men for 

 Palestine are moved over the one track. 



the: gift of the last crusaders 



Before the war, in going to Jerusalem 

 it was necessary to proceed by boat from 

 Port Said to Jaffa, thence by rail to Jeru- 

 salem, for the trip across the sands of 

 Sanai took about eight days by camel. 

 Today the traveler can go to bed on a 



