Casepin
Back to cases

Active case

Tafas massacre

UNSOLVED1918Tafas, Ottoman Syria (present-day Syria)3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Illustrative

Background

Near the end of World War I, in the autumn of 1918, a retreating Ottoman column of roughly two thousand soldiers entered the town of Tafas in Ottoman Syria. The column's commander ordered the killing of the town's inhabitants in an effort to demoralize the pursuing British and Arab forces.

The massacre and its discovery

T. E. Lawrence, the British officer leading the Arab forces in the pursuit, reached the area shortly after the killings. He and his men found the town in ruins and the bodies of villagers — men, women, and children, including several infants — killed and left outside the village. Lawrence recorded the scene in the diary that later formed the basis of his memoir, *Seven Pillars of Wisdom*, describing roughly twenty dead laid out near the village.

Aftermath

In response, Lawrence's forces attacked the withdrawing Ottoman column. For the first time in the campaign, Lawrence ordered that no prisoners be taken. Roughly 250 German and Austrian soldiers travelling with the Ottoman troops were captured and then killed after the Arab fighters found one of their own men killed in the enemy's wake. Lawrence's diary records that fleeing soldiers who called out for mercy along the road were also shot.

Key facts

Victims
On file
Date
1918
Location
Tafas, Ottoman Syria (present-day Syria)
Case status
unsolved

Case timeline

  1. 1918

    A retreating Ottoman Army column of roughly two thousand soldiers, under the high command of Djemal Pasha, entered Tafas; its commander ordered the killing of the town's people.

  2. 1918

    T. E. Lawrence and pursuing British and Arab forces arrived in the area shortly after the massacre, finding mutilated bodies and much of the town in ruins.

  3. 1918

    In response, Lawrence's forces attacked the retreating Ottoman column and, for the first time in the war, took no prisoners; around 250 German and Austrian soldiers were captured and later summarily executed.

Best coverage

No approved coverage links are attached yet.

People

  • Sharif Bey

    CHARGED

    Identified in the Wikipedia account as the Ottoman column commander who ordered the killing of Tafas's civilian population; no legal proceedings are described in the available source.

  • T. E. Lawrence

    LAW ENFORCEMENT

    British officer leading Arab forces pursuing the retreating Ottoman column; arrived after the massacre and later led retaliatory action against Ottoman forces.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Places

Tafas, Ottoman Syria (present-day Syria)

32.7167, 36.0500

View on the map

Common questions

What happened to the victim?
In autumn 1918, retreating Ottoman forces killed civilians in the town of Tafas, in Ottoman Syria, reportedly to demoralize pursuing British and Arab forces near the end of World War I.
Where did the massacre happen?
Tafas, Ottoman Syria (present-day Syria).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: unsolved.
More cases in Syria

Sources

  1. ENCYCLOPEDICTafas massacreWikipedia · 2026-07-10
  2. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — eyewitnesstohistory.comeyewitnesstohistory.com · 2026-07-10
  3. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — gutenberg.orggutenberg.org · 2026-07-10