With the signing of the Armistice of Mudros in 1918, World War I ended. On the other hand, to the 15,000 Mehmetçi held captive in Egypt; A brutality was applied that would push the limits of reason. While many people remember these events with great pain, the mystery of the event has not been fully clarified. The events that took place in the Seydibeshir camp in Egypt took its place in history as the “Seydibeshir Incidents”.
15,000 Mehmetçik held captive in the camp from 1918 to 1920; brutally blinded in pools where chrysolic substance was poured. The issue was discussed in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey in 1921, but it was never brought up afterward. Some research on the subject has been carried out, attempts have been made, but the target has not been achieved.
In many countries where war has taken place, there are prison camps that are the scene of painful events. There are camps where innocent people are tortured, tens of thousands of Turks are captured and tortured, such as the Nazi Camps. Heliopolis Camp, Turra Camp, Maadi Camp, Cairo Fortress, Ras Et-Tin Camp, Bilbeis Camp, Seydibeshir Camp are the only known prisoner camps in Egypt. The diary of Ahmet Altınay, a reserve officer from Karaman, who was held captive in the Seydibeşir Camp, is a legacy left to future generations to keep them in mind.
What Happened in the Seydibeshir Camp
During the First World War, wars were fought on the Canal, Palestine, Syria fronts, as well as on the Yemen, Hejaz, Iraq, Galicia and even Çanakkale fronts. Ottoman Empire; He took part in different groups with England in World War I and gave bloody struggles on many fronts. The Ottoman soldiers, who fought on many fronts, either lost or were captured, except for the Çanakkale Front. Captured soldiers were taken by England and shipped first to Lemnos Island and then to Egypt, and were held captive in 9 different camps.
Soldiers held captive in city centers or camps in deserts were placed in different rooms or wards according to their rank. Turkish prisoners held in British camps; were subjected to ill-treatment, and some even had their eyes gouged out. Most of the captives fell into the hands of the Armenian gang, which was full of hatred and anger, and were killed by various torture methods.
About 15 thousand of the captured soldiers; He was sent to a prison camp near Alexandria. Soldiers held captive were asked to wash and clean themselves. Chrysol, a caustic substance, was placed in large quantities in the pool where the soldiers could bathe. The Mehmetciks, who were forced into the pool, were burned or blinded in these acid-filled pools. Those who did not want to enter or objected were forced to enter the pool with butt strikes and poke their heads. In this way, many soldiers lost their eyesight, and the fate of the remaining soldiers is unknown.
Severe Conditions of the Seydibeshir Camp
The captives are not just soldiers; It consisted of military wives, children, bureaucrats and intellectuals. The camp was located in a secluded place 3 kilometers from the coast, completely surrounded by wire fences. The barracks where the prisoners were kept were mostly sand, with wooden floors. Rain entering through the woods and cold, windy weather were transforming the environment into a muddy and damp area. Many of the soldiers in these camps, which had extremely bad conditions, fell into a psychological depression. Some have had a nervous breakdown, some have had tuberculosis, and many have committed suicide or lost their minds. Many died of diseases such as dysentery and scabies due to the spoiled and stinky food given. The ill-treatment of the Ottoman soldiers held in the prisoner camps was destroying them psychologically. In addition, games were played to break the relations between the captives so that they would not form unity.
Among all the people held captive in bad conditions, infectious diseases began to increase. The British, on the other hand, had found an inhumane sterilization method to prevent these diseases. They boiled tar in cauldrons filled with water with the medicine they prepared, and Turkish works were forced into these cauldrons. The soldiers who entered the cauldrons, their bodies gathered water in the burning fire, most of them were boiled. Those who did not want to enter the cauldron and objected were flogged and laid on the hot sand.
Although the war is over; Except for those who died due to the harsh conditions in the camp, the British did not want to surrender the remaining soldiers. Since they thought that in the event of a war again, the soldiers would face them again, they saw the only solution as massacre.
Researcher and Author Aytunç Altındal, on the subject;
“There are no documents on this subject. Since I cannot see the documentation of how such an event happened and how it happened, I cannot comment. It would not be right to comment on a subject that I do not know. I do not have such information and documents. If I didn’t know that, nobody would. In this case, it is impossible to put a pool of acid that makes me think. These are things that are technically impossible…”
Historian Writer Yavuz Bahadıroğlu, on the subject;
“I could not find the document of this event. I searched a lot but still couldn’t find it. Because this is such a disgusting thing. It doesn’t mean they didn’t do it, but it doesn’t mean they did. The General Staff archives are still not open. When these archives are opened, some truths will emerge. The reason why the archives have not been opened until now is so that different things do not come out.”
