therefore nationalists always dreamt that ideally damascus would be this kind of dream city that could be the capital for the arab kingdom. >> now the eastern end of the sinai peninsula is this narrow straits that leads to this town of akaba. >> a crucial port city, akaba is the gateway to capturing damascus. >> but the problem with akaba is you'll never get off the beach because the turks have artillery and machine guns all pointed out to see. it's just going to be a replication of what the british have done everywhere else, which is go up against the strongest part of the turkish line and be slaughtered. so lawrence comes up with this idea that the way to do it is to go inland, come over the mountains, and take it from behind. >> in may 1917, the decision to take aqaba is taken by faisal