Turkish Prisoners in Egypt A Report by the Delegates of the International Committee of the Red Cross

In the waning months of 1916 a small Red Cross delegation set out from Marseille aboard the liner Morea, bound for the Egyptian ports where the British held thousands of Turkish prisoners of war. Their mission, granted full access by senior military officials, was to observe conditions, offer small comforts, and record what they found in a series of detailed reports.

The delegates spent several days touring camps such as the Heliopolis settlement, a purpose‑built complex perched above Cairo’s new oasis district. They noted the uniform wooden‑and‑reed barracks, the airy layout that allowed unrestricted exercise, and a surprisingly high standard of food—including fresh bread, meat, vegetables and tea—delivered three times a day. Prisoners slept on rush mats under thatched roofs, received regular rations of cigarettes and soap, and were even photographed as part of the humanitarian record.

Beyond the vivid description of daily life, the account reveals how the Red Cross negotiated access, distributed gifts, and measured the cost of sustaining each interned soldier. It offers a rare, contemporaneous glimpse into the practicalities of wartime care and the early foundations of modern prisoner‑of‑war oversight.