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In the famous well scene of Lawrence of Arabia, Lawrence (Peter O'Toole) and his guide Tafas (Zia Mohyeddin) are traveling to Prince Feisal's camp. They stop at the Masturah well. While resting, they spot a speck in the mirage which slowly resolves into a rider. Tafas, realizing the danger, draws his pistol (gifted by Lawrence). The rider, Sherif Ali (Omar Sharif), shoots Tafas from a long distance using a rifle. Tafas falls dead on the sand (not into the well). Ali rides up, takes the pistol, and explains to a horrified Lawrence that "The well is everything" and that Tafas, a Hazimi, had no right to drink from a Harith well.
The well scene is one of the most pivotal early moments in Lawrence of Arabia, serving as Lawrence’s brutal introduction to the harsh, often unforgiving politics and customs of the desert tribes.
Here is a specific detail of what happens:
Lawrence (Peter O’Toole) is returning from his initial reconnaissance trip to meet Prince Feisal. He is accompanied by two guides, one of whom is named Tafas (a young boy/servant) and another elderly Arab man, tasked with guiding them back to the Suez Canal. They are desperate for water and stop at a known, albeit remote, well/oasis.
As Tafas eagerly goes to draw water, a solitary figure appears on the horizon, shimmering in the heat haze. This figure approaches slowly, dressed entirely in black robes. Lawrence warns Tafas not to draw water yet, but Tafas is too focused on the need of the camels.
The approaching figure is Sherif Ali ibn el Kharish (Omar Sharif), who rides up silently on his purebred camel.
Tafas, already fearful or recognizing the danger, pulls out an old, British-issue rifle and raises it toward the approaching man.
Ali draws a pistol (a Mauser C96) and speaks briefly, perhaps a warning, though his words are unheard by the viewer at that immediate moment.
Ali fires instantly. Tafas is shot and killed, falling violently backwards into the water of the well.
Lawrence is horrified, shouting at Ali and demanding to know why he murdered the man, calling it an atrocity.
Ali delivers the essential lesson that shatters Lawrence's romantic, Western view of the Arab world:
"This is my well."
Lawrence protests that the well is open to all, as it's a neutral water source. Ali explains the reality of the desert law: The well belongs to the Harith tribe, which he leads. Tafas, who belonged to another tribe, was drinking without permission, a punishable offense under desert law.
Ali further explains that while the water may be free, the well itself is property, and unauthorized use of a tribal well is an act of war or theft.
Lawrence is forced to stand down, realizing his British authority means nothing here. He watches as Ali reaches down, retrieves the old rifle from the water, and then pulls out Tafas’s body from the well.
This scene fundamentally teaches Lawrence that his journey in Arabia will be defined by harsh tribal loyalties, severe justice, and the constant struggle for resource ownership, a reality far removed from the tidy European war he left behind. Ali, the stern executioner, quickly becomes Lawrence's first major ally and companion.
The summary describes Ali firing 'instantly' with a pistol, completely missing the famous cinematic technique of the long, slow approach from the mirage where Ali shoots from a distance.
The summary swaps the weapons (giving Tafas a rifle and Ali a pistol for the kill), whereas in the film, Tafas has a pistol and Ali uses a rifle.