Wreath of Kaiser Wilhelm II

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At the close of the First World War, this wreath was taken from the tomb of Saladin (the 12th-century Arab leader who reclaimed Jerusalem from Crusaders) in Damascus by hand. Initially placed there by Kaiser Wilhelm II during his state tour of the Middle East in 1898, it was later given to Colonel T E Lawrence ('Lawrence of Arabia') by Sherif Feisal, leader of the Arab movement, when they entered Damascus on October 1st, 1918. In turn, Lawrence gave the wreath to the Imperial War Museum on November 11th, 1918. According to his original deposit note, he removed the wreath himself: 'since Saladin no longer needed it.' This wreath holds immense significance as part of the IWM Collections. Its importance extends beyond Lawrence, Feisal and the Kaiser to broader symbolic meaning reflecting German influence in the Ottoman Empire, the end of the Palestine campaign and foreboding omens for postwar regional politics.