Cyprus' history is often remembered through Venetian walls, the Ottoman conquest, or recent political divisions; but one of the island's most dramatic and lesser-known pages was written in a prisoner-of-war camp established in the early northwest of Famagusta during the First World War. At Karaolos—today called Karakol Neighborhood—this camp, built by the British in 1916, became the forced stopping point for thousands of Ottoman soldiers captured on the Gallipoli, Sinai-Palestine, and Arab Revolt fronts. The story forms a striking intersection point of both military history and Cyprus' multi-layered past.
The Camp's Establishment and Bringing Prisoners to Famagusta
At Gallipoli, one of the bloodiest fronts of the First World War, and also along the Sinai-Palestine line and during the Arab Revolt in the Hejaz, Ottoman soldiers who fell prisoner to British forces began to be evacuated in large groups as the war progressed. According to records, in September 1916, approximately 2,000 Ottoman soldiers transported by two ships were brought to Famagusta's coast. The ships docked at the harbor area where Othello Tower, one of the city's iconic structures, is located; the prisoners were then marched under tight security from here to Karaolos, just outside the city walls. The chosen location seems to have been selected both for its proximity to the harbor and its isolated position from the city center, which was conducive to keeping them under control.
There are some discrepancies in the sources regarding the number of prisoners; therefore it is more appropriate to cautiously read the figure as "approximately 2,000." A significant portion of these prisoners are noted to have been soldiers who fell prisoner at Gallipoli, one of the war's symbolic battles—which also explains why the camp remained a reference point in the collective memory of the Turkish-Cypriot community on the island to this day.
Living Conditions at Karaolos
Academic studies examining the topic emphasize that living conditions in the camp were harsh. The rations given to prisoners mostly consisted of boiled or mashed vegetables, bread made from barley flour, carob, and olives—a reflection of the limited supplies reaching the island during wartime. Many soldiers reportedly lacked adequate winter clothing or shoes, and these conditions particularly worsened health problems during cold and damp seasons. Water and sanitation conditions were also inadequate, consistent with the general standards of prisoner-of-war camps of the period.
The price of these conditions was steep: according to available sources, 217 Ottoman soldiers held in the camp died during their captivity. This figure, like the total number of prisoners, appears in different sources with minor variations; yet the fact remains that hundreds of soldiers lost their lives far from home, thousands of kilometers from their homeland. A monument to the Gallipoli Martyrs, still standing in Famagusta today, was built to commemorate the soldiers who died in the camp and continues to bear the traces of this period in the collective memory of the island's Turkish population.
The Camp's Closure and Later Use
After the war ended, the evacuation of Ottoman prisoners did not happen immediately; the process took years. According to records, the majority of prisoners were sent back to their homeland in two separate groups in February 1920. Some are noted to have chosen to remain in Cyprus in the post-war conditions—an interesting detail in the demographic history of the island's Turkish-Cypriot population.
After the evacuation of Ottoman prisoners, the Karaolos camp did not remain empty. In 1920-1921, it hosted "White Army" refugees fleeing the Russian Civil War. The camp's best-known second period, however, occurred much later, between 1946-1949: Jewish refugees who were apprehended by British authorities while attempting to reach Palestine illegally after the Second World War were held in detention camps established on the same Karaolos land. Though this second period occupies much more space in international historical writing, the knowledge that the camp's origins lay with Ottoman prisoners of the First World War generally remains in the background.
What Remains from This Period in Famagusta Today
The physical traces of Karaolos have largely been erased over time; part of the area has become part of land used by the United Nations Peacekeeping Force (UNFICYP). On the other hand, Othello Tower within the Famagusta walls continues to carry symbolic importance as the point where prisoners first set foot on the island; the tower today remains one of the most photographed structures in the city as visitors explore Venetian-era architecture. The monument to the Gallipoli Martyrs in the city, while often passed by visitors, serves as an important landmark for those seeking to understand Famagusta's multi-layered history.
When visiting Famagusta, one should not content oneself with merely seeing its beaches, the ghost-town atmosphere of Varosha, or the Gothic architecture of Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque (formerly St. Nicholas Cathedral), but should also pause briefly at this lesser-known captivity history, reminding ourselves how multilayered and international the city's historical narrative truly is. A century ago, the story of soldiers bearing the sufferings of war from thousands of kilometers away passed through here, a story that remains an important piece to be added to Cyprus' historical narrative.
The discrepancies in sources regarding figures and some details still not fully clarified show that the topic retains its relevance in academic studies. Nevertheless, the basic framework is clear: Famagusta is not only a Mediterranean port, but also a waypoint through which people caught in the shadow of the twentieth century's great conflicts have passed.
