The camp is arranged to hold a total population of 15,000 men. A
barbed-wire fencing separates it from adjoining property.
_Accommodation._--The barracks for the prisoners are arranged in groups,
in parallel lines separated by passages 65 feet wide. These barracks,
built under the supervision of the Egyptian Engineering Department, are
of uniform construction, and about 42 feet long by 30 feet wide. They
are solid frames of wood with the spaces between filled in with reeds
arranged vertically and held in place by crossbars. The roof is of reed
thatch edged with tarred felt. Thanks to the design, the ventilation is
perfect. The sandy soil shows hardly a sign of dampness. The passage
between the rows of beds is made of hard-beaten earth which is very dry
and easily kept clean. All along this corridor, as in all the camp
roads, buckets full of water are arranged in readiness to meet an
outbreak of fire. The water in these buckets is not meant for drinking,
and therefore contains a little cresol to prevent prisoners drinking it.
The danger of fire is further reduced to a minimum by the fact that the
men smoke only out of doors and that the mildness of the climate does
away with the use of stoves. Each barrack accommodates 50 men.
_Bedding._--Each prisoner lies on a mat of plaited rush, and has four
blankets. Every morning the mats are brushed and rolled up and the
blankets folded, so that during the day there is a large clear space
inside the building. The detention cells have the same sleeping
accommodation.
_Exercise._--The space left between the barracks of the separate
sections is amply sufficient for exercise, which is quite unrestricted
during the regulation hours.
_Food._--Provisions are purchased by the commissariat and brought every
morning into a special barrack, whence each section draws its daily
rations. Bread comes from the Cairo bakeries. It is of good quality and
agreeable to the taste. The kitchens are in the open and heated by wood
fires. They are staffed by a detachment of prisoners under a head cook.
At meal times each section sends men to draw the rations for each room
in large metal bowls. Every man has his own spoon, bowl and drinking
cup, all of metal. The hours of meals are ordinarily as follows: