Jordan celebrates hundred years of Arab Revolt against Ottoman Empire Thursday June 02,2016

Jordan on Thursday June 02,2016 celebrated 100 years since the Great Arab Revolt, led by King Abdullah II’s great-grandfather, with a military parade of troops on camel back, attack helicopters and cannon fire.

At a newly unveiled Martyr’s Memorial, military units stood for inspection Thursday June 02,2016  as the monarch walked across parade grounds, saluting troops. A century ago, Sherif Hussein declared war on the Ottoman Empire, then in control of the Middle East. His Hashemite family led Arab Bedouin irregulars in a British-backed guerrilla campaign made famous by Lawrence of Arabia.

New national boundaries were drawn across the region, which are now contested in the Islamic State's bloody quest for a caliphate. Jordan’s military is a key ally in a US-led military coalition fighting the extremists in Iraq and Syria.