Turkish Red Crescent (Turkish: TürkKızılayı (offcial) or Kızılay (for short)) is the largest humanitarian organization in Turkey and is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The organization was founded in the Ottoman Empire in 1868, partly in response to the experience of the Crimean War, in which disease overshadowed battle as the main cause of death and suffering among Turkish soldiers. It was the frst Red Crescent society of its kind and one of the most important charity organizations in the Muslim world. The society is a not-for-proft, volunteerbased social service institution providing unconditional aid and service, and is a corporate body governed by special legal provisions.