1916 uprising in Hilla

Lore & Background

The uprising in Hilla occurred in November 1916. The Ottomans initially put up a desperate fight but were outnumbered by waves of Bedouin and deserters. After the rebels captured the city, the Ottomans sent a punitive force of 4,000–6,000 troops under ‘Ākif Beg. On the 11th, Ākif wrote a letter to Hilla, claiming he needed to cross the city to reach Nasiriyah and requested a meeting with prominent citizens to negotiate permission. When leaders such as Muhammad ‘Ali al-Qazwini and others met them, the Ottomans detained them and declared that if their crossing was opposed, they would kill the hostages.

Reader's Guide

The residents abided by the Ottoman demands, but Akif reneged on his promise. Ottoman forces hanged 128 or 126 people, carried off their women, killed 1,500 in all, and deported thousands to Diyarbakır. This incident increased anti-Ottoman sentiment among Arab Shiites, some of whom came to Hilla to aid the rebels but arrived too late. Al-Fatlah chieftain Mudbir al-Far'un condemned the massacre in a statement to the Arab nation, accusing the Ottoman state of wanting to wipe out the Arabs. Muhammad ‘Ali al-Qazwini was spared and lived until 1937.

Did You Know?

• The uprising is also called the Akif incident after the Ottoman commander ‘Ākif Beg.
• The Ottomans hanged either 128 or 126 people and killed 1,500 in total.
• Thousands of people were deported to Diyarbakır following the uprising.
• Muhammad ‘Ali al-Qazwini, one of the detained leaders, was spared and lived until 1937.