How World War I Ended the Ottoman Empire Forever — Fexingo History

The Ottoman Empire's Last Orphanage: How Children Survived the Collapse

4 min · 6. juli 2026
episode The Ottoman Empire's Last Orphanage: How Children Survived the Collapse cover

Description

After the armistice of Mudros in 1918, the Ottoman Empire was not only defeated but dismantled. Among the millions displaced and destitute were tens of thousands of orphaned children, survivors of war, famine, and disease. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the little-known story of the Darüleytam, or Orphanages of the Ottoman Empire, which by 1918 housed over 80,000 children across Anatolia and the Arab provinces. Through the efforts of figures like the reformer Ahmet Cemal Paşa and the educator Selim Sırrı Tarcan, these orphanages became experimental grounds for new ideas about education, nationalism, and hygiene. But after the empire's collapse, funding dried up, foreign powers intervened, and many children were left to fend for themselves. The conversation touches on the role of the Hilal-i Ahmer (Red Crescent), the legacy of the Teşkilat-ı Mahsusa in child welfare, and how the Turkish Republic eventually absorbed these institutions. A forgotten chapter of care and chaos at the empire's end. #OttomanEmpire #Orphanages #Darüleytam #Hilal-iAhmer #AhmetCemalPaşa #SelimSırrıTarcan #WWI #Mudros #Teşkilat-ıMahsusa #ChildWelfare #TurkishRepublic #Anatolia #History #FexingoHistory #OttomanHistory #Philanthropy #Education #PostWar Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

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