El Shatt
Encyclopedia
The El Shatt was a complex of World War II
refugee camp
s in the desert of the Sinai peninsula
, in Egypt
. Residents lived there from the summer of 1944 to the beginning of 1946. The region of Dalmatia
(in today's modern Croatia
, then Yugoslavia
) was evacuated by the Allies
, ahead of a German
invasion in 1944. The camp was disbanded in 1946 after the war ended.
. Vis had been established as the Headquarters for the Partisan army. The allied British army
was not able to accept so many people who were fleeing to Italy
. It was decided that the non-combatant population of the island and evacuated refugees would be sent to southern Italy. Firstly they were sent to Bari
, and then to Taranto
. The refugees were mostly from Makarska
(around 6000), Vodice
, Hvar
, Vis, Korčula
, Ravni Kotari
and Bukovica
. There was heavy fighting in Italy
between the Allied forces and the Germans. It was decided to transfer the refugees to Egypt, which was then under the British control.
. It was divided into five smaller bases. Refugees were housed in tents (average one to two families per tent). Although far from home and living in poor conditions, they tried to preserve the illusion of normal life. They established schools, various workshops, a shared laundry,and issued a newspaper (Our Paper/Naš List). One tent was designated as a church. Josip Hatze
, a famous Split
-born composer and conductor, who was in his later years, spent his time organizing choirs. People from Dalmatia had difficulty adjusting to desert conditions, especially children who suffed from intestinal diseases. Many of them died. The British government also kept a strict regime, allowing exit from the complex only with passes. On several occasions, the area of El Shatt was bombed.
More than 30,000 people lived in the refugee camp for a total of 18 months. During their time in the camp, there were 300 marriages. Additionally 650 children were born.They returned home at the beginning of 1946 when the war was over and a more stable political situation in Yugoslavia
was established. At the place of their exile rests a graveyard with 825 graves of people who did not withstand the tough conditions of life in the desert.
worker (who later became an author) at the camp wrote, "People mysteriously appeared and disappeared with a frequency reminiscent of a popular transit hotel". He also added, "I must not give the impression that these people created a little paradise here on the desert with their resourcefulness. Their extreme lack of everything only makes what they do more impressive, standing as it does against such a background." The refugees were mostly women and children.
The Refugee cemetery was seriously damaged in the Arab-Israeli War. Finally, in 2003 with the support of the Croatian
government, a memorial site was established. An ethnographic collection of objects from the El Shatt are on display at the local Center for Culture in the town of Vela Luka
.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
refugee camp
Refugee camp
A refugee camp is a temporary settlement built to receive refugees. Hundreds of thousands of people may live in any one single camp. Usually they are built and run by a government, the United Nations, or international organizations, or NGOs.Refugee camps are generally set up in an impromptu...
s in the desert of the Sinai peninsula
Sinai Peninsula
The Sinai Peninsula or Sinai is a triangular peninsula in Egypt about in area. It is situated between the Mediterranean Sea to the north, and the Red Sea to the south, and is the only part of Egyptian territory located in Asia as opposed to Africa, effectively serving as a land bridge between two...
, in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. Residents lived there from the summer of 1944 to the beginning of 1946. The region of Dalmatia
Dalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
(in today's modern Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, then Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
) was evacuated by the Allies
Allies
In everyday English usage, allies are people, groups, or nations that have joined together in an association for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out between them...
, ahead of a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
invasion in 1944. The camp was disbanded in 1946 after the war ended.
Background
Fleeing the German offensive in the beginning of 1944, a large number of civilians (over 30,000) in fear of reprisals, escaped to the island of VisVis (island)
Vis is the most outerly lying larger Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea, and is part of the Central Dalmatian group of islands, with an area of 90.26 km² and a population of 3,617 . Of all the inhabited Croatian islands, it is the farthest from the coast...
. Vis had been established as the Headquarters for the Partisan army. The allied British army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
was not able to accept so many people who were fleeing to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. It was decided that the non-combatant population of the island and evacuated refugees would be sent to southern Italy. Firstly they were sent to Bari
Bari
Bari is the capital city of the province of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, in Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy after Naples, and is well known as a port and university city, as well as the city of Saint Nicholas...
, and then to Taranto
Taranto
Taranto is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto and is an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval base....
. The refugees were mostly from Makarska
Makarska
Makarska is a small town on the Adriatic coastline of Croatia, about southeast of Split and northwest of Dubrovnik. It has a population of 13,716 residents. Administratively Makarska has the status of a town and it is part of the Split-Dalmatia County....
(around 6000), Vodice
Vodice
Vodice may refer to:* Vodice, Croatia* Vodice, Slovenia* Vodice, Serbia* Vodice, a village in Albania...
, Hvar
Hvar
- Climate :The climate of Hvar is characterized by mild winters and warm summers. The yearly average air temperature is , 686 mm of precipitation fall on the town of Hvar on average every year and the town has a total of 2800 sunshine hours per year. For comparison Hvar has an average of 7.7...
, Vis, Korčula
Korcula
Korčula is an island in the Adriatic Sea, in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County of Croatia. The island has an area of ; long and on average wide — and lies just off the Dalmatian coast. Its 16,182 inhabitants make it the second most populous Adriatic island after Krk...
, Ravni Kotari
Ravni Kotari
Ravni Kotari is a geographical region in Croatia. It is situated in northern Dalmatia, around Zadar. It is bordered by Bukovica to the northwest, lower Krka on the southeast and the Adriatic Sea. The biggest settlement of the region is the town of Benkovac...
and Bukovica
Bukovica
Bukovica is a geographical region in Croatia. It is situated in northern Dalmatia, between Lika in the north, Kninska Krajina in the east, and Ravni Kotari in the south-west. Prior to the war, it encompassed the western half of the Knin municipality, the eastern half of the Benkovac municipality...
. There was heavy fighting in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
between the Allied forces and the Germans. It was decided to transfer the refugees to Egypt, which was then under the British control.
The camp
The camp was located near the Suez CanalSuez Canal
The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
. It was divided into five smaller bases. Refugees were housed in tents (average one to two families per tent). Although far from home and living in poor conditions, they tried to preserve the illusion of normal life. They established schools, various workshops, a shared laundry,and issued a newspaper (Our Paper/Naš List). One tent was designated as a church. Josip Hatze
Josip Hatze
Joseph Hatze was one of the first and most prominent Croatian composers in the Mediterranean style in the first half of last century....
, a famous Split
Split (city)
Split is a Mediterranean city on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, centered around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian and its wide port bay. With a population of 178,192 citizens, and a metropolitan area numbering up to 467,899, Split is by far the largest Dalmatian city and...
-born composer and conductor, who was in his later years, spent his time organizing choirs. People from Dalmatia had difficulty adjusting to desert conditions, especially children who suffed from intestinal diseases. Many of them died. The British government also kept a strict regime, allowing exit from the complex only with passes. On several occasions, the area of El Shatt was bombed.
More than 30,000 people lived in the refugee camp for a total of 18 months. During their time in the camp, there were 300 marriages. Additionally 650 children were born.They returned home at the beginning of 1946 when the war was over and a more stable political situation in Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
was established. At the place of their exile rests a graveyard with 825 graves of people who did not withstand the tough conditions of life in the desert.
Legacy
John Corsellis, a BritishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
worker (who later became an author) at the camp wrote, "People mysteriously appeared and disappeared with a frequency reminiscent of a popular transit hotel". He also added, "I must not give the impression that these people created a little paradise here on the desert with their resourcefulness. Their extreme lack of everything only makes what they do more impressive, standing as it does against such a background." The refugees were mostly women and children.
The Refugee cemetery was seriously damaged in the Arab-Israeli War. Finally, in 2003 with the support of the Croatian
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
government, a memorial site was established. An ethnographic collection of objects from the El Shatt are on display at the local Center for Culture in the town of Vela Luka
Vela Luka
Vela Luka is a small town and a municipality in Dubrovnik-Neretva County in southern Dalmatia, Croatia. The town is located on the western side of the island of Korčula at the bottom of a wide bay which has many indented coves. Vela Luka developed at the beginning of the 19th century in a deep...
.