T.E. Lawrence joined the British Army in 1914 and, with his extensive knowledge of the Ottoman Empire, was soon back in the Middle East and fighting with the Arabs against the Turks. Between 1916 and 1918, he fought many actions against the Turks and was eventually promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel after the successful occupation of Damascus, in Syria. After the war, he wrote "Seven Pillars of Wisdom", part based on archaeological research before the war and part-based on his activities against the Turks. "Revolt in the Desert" followed in 1926.