Büyük Han, the lovingly restored Caranvansarai in the Center of Nicosia
Whilst waiting for the boat and the rest of the crew to arrive, a few of us decided to visit Nicosia (Lefkosia in Greek), the divided capital of Cyprus. The town was founded around 2'500 BC but was relatively small. Other cities like the port towns of Salamis or Kurion were larger and more important. Situated in the fertile plane of Mesaoria, Nicosia was not almost a bystander in the international copper trade. It was a regional center.
Checking the Status of Crew and Boat over Coffee this Morning
Its time came when Arab raids destroyed Salamis, the Byzantine capital in 647. It took centuries for Byzantium to gain the island back. By 965 AD, they controlled it again and moved their administrative centre to Nicosia, away from the dangerous coast. The Emperors of Constantinople did not rule the island for long. A hundred years later, it fell into the hands of crusaders. Ownership changed several times until the Lusignans from France took over. They governed until 1489.
Selimiye Camii Mosque - the old Saint Sophia Cathedral from
the 13th Century is closed for restoration - we could not visit
When walking through Nicosia today, we discovered the churches and catherals they built. Most of them were converted into mosques after the Ottoman conquest in 1570. But these buldings were clearly built as gothic style churches. Apparently, recent excavations found more medieval Lusignan buildings but they are not accessible to the public yet.
The Inside of Saint Sophia - Picture taken in previous visit in 2018
Old Nicosia's architecture is now dominated by structures from Venetian time (1489 - 1570), the Ottoman period (1570 - 1878), the British Empire (1878 - 1960) and a few modern high-rises built after independence.
Aerail View of Old Nicosia - the Venitian Town Walls from 1567 still dominate the Town
The Venetial town walls are particularly impressive. Built by the Italian engineers Gulio Savorgnan and Francesco Barbaro who also built Palmanova near Venice, the walls had 11 mighty bastions, three well protected gates and are about 5 kilometers long. The walls reflected the military lessons from the Siege of Malta in 1565 which the Ottomans unsuccessfully tried to take for months. But Nicosia's wall was not completed and Malta was better prepared when the Ottoman Army arrived in summer 1570. The siege lasted for 6 weeks only before one of the bastions was breached. It is said that the Ottoman conquerors killed 95% of the 21'000 inhabitants. But i could not verify the number.
The Venetians placed this Column from Salamis in Nicosia and
Dedicated it to the Loyalty of its Citizens to the Serene Republic.
At the back the Police Station built by the British.
The new Ottoman rulers did not only convert churches into mosques, they also built 18 caravansarais, places to stay for merchants who came with their goods from the coast, One of them, Büyük Han, is well restored but others are now neglected for years and in bad shape. There are far too few visitors to make their refurbishment a viable business.
One of the many Caravansarais which were never refurbished
The small number of visitors is the result of the island's division into a Turkish and a Greek part exactly fifty years ago. Despite several UN and EU initiatives to re-unite the country, the parts remain separated. The North is isolated and unrecognized by the world community. The South now a member of the European Union.
The Demarkation Line crosses the entire Old Town of Nicosia - in black the No-Mans-Land
It seems both sides settled into the silent acceptance of a permanent separation. Package mass tourism on the beaches in the North and the South is florishing but there is little going on in Nicosia. On the western part of the line of separation we visited the Turkish houses are restored. But on the Greek side they still stand in ruins with sandbags covering the broken windows.
Turkish Houses to the Left - No-Mans-Land in the Middle - Greek Side to the Right
Seeing the barbed wires and the ruins, we wondered whether the war of 1974 was worth it. Triggered by Greek radicals who dreamt of uniting Cyprus with Greece against the explicit wish of the Turkish minority, it caused a lot of damage to both communities. That neither UN nor EU could find a solution is a sad state of affairs. With its copper, the island once gave humanity new technologies and new horizons. With its conflicts, it terminated the hopes of many innocent people. Time to do better. On both sides. For both leaders.
Turkish Soldiers on their Day off in the local Cafe - I hope they come one day back as Tourists
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