In Pictures

In Pictures: Syrian refugees in Turkey

More than 102,000 refugees are being hosted in camps in Turkey, with winter approaching many are eager to return home.

Children are a common sight in the streets of the refugee camps. In Islahiyeh, they make up roughly half of the camp(***)s 7,825 residents.

By Matthew Cassel

29 Oct 2012

As fighting between the government and opposition groups continues inside Syria, the number of refugees fleeing the violence has increased.

So far, around 350,000 Syrian refugees have registered or are waiting to register with either the UN refugee agency or governments in neighbouring countries like Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan and Iraq, where they’ve fled to.

In Turkey the number of Syrian refugees is now greater than 102,000. And with winter approaching and no indication that things will improve inside Syria, many refugees are becoming increasing frustrated and eager to return home.

The following images were taken in the Islahiyeh and Kilis refugee camps in southern Turkey.

Follow Matthew Cassel on Twitter: @justimage

The Turkish government and non-governmental organisations like the Turkish Red Crescent, are paying nearly all of the costs to house more than 100,000 Syrian refugees in Turkey.

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Many older people said they never expected to be refugees, forced to escape their homes in Syria.

Om Jamal, centre, makes a bag in a sewing workshop in the Islahiyeh camp. She left her home in Aleppo after her brother was killed fighting with the opposition.

Ahmad al-Arash could hardly contain his emotions as he was unable to understand a Turkish doctor(***)s orders to treat his one-year-old son Mohamed.

As the number of refugees increases, many of the camps are becoming overcrowded.

As winter approaches, Turkish authorities said they hope all camps will soon have containers like in the Kilis camp. However, even the containers are far from perfect and have begun leaking water during recent heavy rains.

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Young children are eager to pose for the camera.

Turkey(***)s Kilis camp, just beside the border with Syria, is home to around 12,000 Syrian refugees.

Like in Turkish schools, a picture of Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, hangs over classrooms for Syrian refugees.

Most classes for young children are taught by Turkish teachers who don(***)t speak Arabic, leaving children unable to communicate with their instructors.

As the fighting inside Syria continues, many restaurants and small shops are starting to open in the camps, like Abu Taha(***)s "Freedom Restaurant" in Islahiyeh.

Despite the ongoing fighting, some refugees like Abu Omar from Aleppo are planning to take their families back home, as they worry about the winter weather. "Staying in the camp is no way to live," Abu Omar said.

Many refugees complain that washing stations, toilets, and showers provided by the Turkish government are unhygienic.

Children are often seen looking after their even younger siblings in the camps.

Syrian refugees might not have homes, but that doesn(***)t stop them from getting haircuts.

The camps are well organised, and tents and containers are all numbered.

Some refugees have been living in Turkey for more than a year, so some babies have been born in the camps.

Many Syrian refugees complain about the free food provided by local catering companies.

Some men have found work in areas outside the camp on farms or in industrial areas and return to the camp at night. However, many refugees complain that the wages are much less than they would earn at home in Syria.

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