Cyprus (; ; ), officially called the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the Eastern Mediterranean. The third largest and third most populous island in the Mediterranean, it is located south of Turkey; west of Syria and Lebanon; north of Egypt, Israel, and Palestine; and southeast of Greece. The earliest known human activity on the island dates to around the 10th millennium BC. Archaeological remains from this period include the well-preserved Neolithic village of Khirokitia, and Cyprus is home to some of the oldest water wells in the world. Cyprus was settled by Mycenaean Greeks in two waves in the 2nd millennium BC.
Introduction
Cyprus
Cyprus | Introduction
Cyprus is an island country Cyprus, officially called the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the Eastern Mediterranean. Eastern Mediterranean is a loose definition of the eastern approximate half, or third, of the Mediterranean Sea Cyprus
where may have the mycenaeans ultimately ended up
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Cyprus and the Levantine coast
assistant
where is the former place located?
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In the Eastern Mediterranean - south of Turkey; west of Syria and Lebanon; north of Egypt, Israel, and Palestine; and southeast of Greece.
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how was the place during the middle ages?
user
When the Roman Empire was divided into Eastern and Western parts in 395, Cyprus became part of the East Roman, or Byzantine Empire.
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what cultural influence does it have?
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Greek Cypriots have influences from Greece and Christianity, while Turkish Cypriots have influences from Turkey and Islam.
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what is the aforesaid place which is located at the southern turkey?
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During the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974, Greek Cypriot inhabitants also fled the village as the Turkish army advanced to the village, but they returned after the army withdrew. Turkish Cypriot inhabitants were relocated to Şirinevler (Agios Ermolaos), where they were given land. Today, the original Greek Cypriot inhabitants live in the village, while the Turkish Cypriot quarter lies in ruins.
Deneia | Demographics
Avdimou (, or "Düzkaya") is a small village on the south coast of Cyprus, lying partly within the British Overseas Territory of Akrotiri and Dhekelia. Up to 1974 it was inhabited by a majority of Turkish-Cypriots, but following the Turkish invasion the Turkish Cypriot residents were forcibly evacuated to the North. Greek Cypriot refugees from the North, who were also forcibly evacuated, replaced the Turkish residents. Historically agriculture was the main source of income for the village, primarily in the local vine, olive and carob plantations. However, the younger generations are switching to white collar employment in the nearby city of Limassol.
Avdimou | Introduction
The saray was demolished in 1904 and the present block of Government Offices built on the site. When the newly settled Turkish population arrived they generally lived in the north of the old riverbed. Greek Cypriots remained concentrated in the south, where the Archbishopric of the Orthodox Church was built. Other ethnic minority groups such as the Armenians and Latins came to be settled near the western entry into the city at Paphos Gate.
Nicosia | Ottoman rule
Today it is populated mostly by Turkish Cypriots and recent Anatolian Turkish settlers. According to the 2011 TRNC census, the population of Northern Cyprus was 286,257. Other estimates suggests that there is between 300,000-500,000 Turkish Cypriots and Turkish settlers living in the north of the island.
Turkish minorities in the former Ottoman Empire | Cyprus
Both Turkish and Greek Cypriots have a minor genetic relation with surrounding populations, mainly with Calabrians (southern Italy), Albanians (particularly for Greek Cypriots), Lebanese and Libyans (only for Turkish Cypriots). The genetic affinity between Calabrians and Cypriots could be a result of a common ancient Greek (Achaean) genetic contribution to both populations. In addition to documented settlement of Anatolian peasants and craftsmen, as well as the arrival of soldiers, decrees were also issued banishing Anatolian tribes, "undesirable" persons, and members of various "troublesome" Muslim sects, principally those officially classified as heretical. This influx of mainly Muslim settlers to Cyprus continued intermittently until the end of the Ottoman period.
Turkish Cypriots | Ottoman Cyprus
Many of the northern villages of the district were home to minority populations of Pontic Greeks until the 1922 Exchange of Greek and Turkish Populations, constituting the southern fringes of that community's extension. Some among the present population can also trace their roots to Greeks who had converted to Islam until as late as the end of the 19th century, as indicated by the Ottoman census and changed village names (for example, the present village of "Evren" was formerly called "Sefker").
Şiran | History
Once they arrived in Famagusta, they were initially accommodated briefly in empty hostels or schools, and then transferred to the Greek Cypriot villages, which were their destinations of settlement. The families were assigned houses by lot.
Turkish settlers in Northern Cyprus | History
This approach is often called the "Cypriot poetry of rejection" as it resists the influence of Turkey, highlighting the cultural rift between Turkey and Cyprus due to the recent experience of war and therefore the independence of the Turkish Cypriot poetry and identity. This was followed by an increased adoption of the Mediterranean identity in the 1980s, accompanied by the effects of the liberalisation of the Turkish Cypriot society, as reflected in the feminist elements, of which a particular example is Neriman Cahit.
Northern Cyprus | Literature
In place of the ancient Greek city today lies the modern city Sirintilinin Çiftlik in southeastern Turkey.
Serraepolis | Introduction
Before 1974, the town was predominantly inhabited by Greek-Cypriots. During the Turkish Invasion of Cyprus in 20 July 1974, the peninsula was cut off by Turkish troops, and this prevented the town's Greek-Cypriot inhabitants from fleeing to the south. As a result, with 250 Greek Cypriot inhabitants, Rizokarpaso is the home of the biggest Greek population in the North. Between 1974 and 1985, however, around 2500 Greek Cypriots left the village. Although the Greek-Cypriot population is now mainly elderly and shrinking in size, they are still supplied by the UN, and Greek-Cypriot products are consequently available in some places. In 1977, Turkish settlers were brought from different areas of Turkey, including Kars, Muş, Diyarbakır and Ağrı in the Eastern Anatolia Region, Mersin and Adana in the Mediterranean Region and Akkuş, Çarşamba, Akçaabat, Sürmene, Araklı and Trabzon in the Black Sea Region.
Rizokarpaso | Demographics
This conquest brought with it Turkish settlement from 1571 until 1878. During the 17th century especially, the Muslim population of the island grew rapidly, partly because of Turkish immigrants but also due to Greek converts to Islam. Turkish Cypriots are the overwhelming majority of the island's Muslims, along with Turkish settlers from Turkey and adhere to the Sunni branch of Islam. Sufism also plays an important role. Historically, Muslims were spread over the whole of Cyprus, but since 1974 they have lived primarily in the north. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community itself has a presence in north.
Religion in Northern Cyprus | Islam
The "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus", is diplomatically recognized only by Turkey, occupies the northern one-third of the island, around 36% of the territory. The United Nations-controlled Green Line is a buffer zone that separates the two and it is about 4%. Lastly, two areas—Akrotiri and Dhekelia—remain under British sovereignty for military purposes, collectively forming the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia (SBA). The SBAs are located on the southern coast of the island and together encompass 254 km, or 2.8% of the island.
Geography of Cyprus | Introduction
Architecture is typically Ottoman of the era of the conquest of the island in 1571. Constructed of yellow sandstone, the residential houses have arched entrances, inner courtyards where there is usually a kitchen garden, fruit trees and a freshwater reservouar. Unfortunately the recent years have seen the demolishing of quite a number of these buildings within the historic walls, after becoming a danger of collapse, due to lack of maintenance and or neglect. The population in 1946 was 2,345, consisting of 1,686 Turkish Cypriots, 656 Greek Cypriots and 3 others
Yeni Jami, Nicosia | Introduction
Northern Cyprus (), officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC; ), is a "de facto" state that comprises the northeastern portion of the island of Cyprus. Recognised only by Turkey, Northern Cyprus is considered by the international community to be part of the Republic of Cyprus. Northern Cyprus extends from the tip of the Karpass Peninsula in the northeast to Morphou Bay, Cape Kormakitis and its westernmost point, the Kokkina exclave in the west. Its southernmost point is the village of Louroujina. A buffer zone under the control of the United Nations stretches between Northern Cyprus and the rest of the island and divides Nicosia, the island's largest city and capital of both sides.
History of the Jews in Northern Cyprus | Background of Northern Cyprus
Ten years later there were 80 Turks and 111 Greeks. After this, the Greek proportion grew, but the village remained mixed with a significant presence of both groups. In 1960 there were 105 Turks and 170 Greeks. After the invasion, most Greek Cypriots stayed and were enclaved in the village. There were 150 in October 1975. But by December 1976, there only remained three elderly Greek Cypriots. The original Turkish Cypriot villagers remained. Apart from these, there are settlers from Erbaa in the province of Tokat, inland of the Black Sea coast of Turkey. This village population in 2011 was 228, a drop from 266 in 2006.
Lythrangomi | Introduction
After its Greek Cypriot inhabitants were displaced in August 1974, the town was repopulated by displaced Turkish Cypriots. The main origin of the Turkish Cypriots that settled in the town is the village of Alaminos, but inhabitants of many other villages were also relocated here. There are some Turkish people that have settled in the town as well, mostly hailing from the Mersin Province.
Kythrea | Demographics
In 1963, the year when the inter-communal riots between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots broke out and under the fear of an attack by groups of nationalists from nearby villages, Turkish Cypriots settled here from neighboring Choulou. Finally, the Turkish invasion of 1974 and the mutual exchange of populations that was agreed upon by Denktas-Cleridis forced the inhabitants to move to the Turkish northern territories occupied by the Turks.
Pitargou | Introduction
On the island of Cyprus before the invasion, the majority of the inhabitants were Greek-Cypriots, and for these citizens, the Greek Orthodox Church was and continues today to be central to their identity and faith. In the north, there is a fear that Christianity is dying out because the churches and monasteries have been destroyed, transformed, or are falling into ruin. The northern Turkish inhabitants have transformed some former religious sites into mosques, army barracks, stables, night clubs and hotels, and it has been documented that only 3 churches and 1 monastery are currently in a dignified state out of the 520 churches and monasteries that were in the northern area of the country before the Turkish invasion.
Looted art | Looted religious sites and icons
The degree of the integration of mainland Turks to the Turkish Cypriot community varies; some identify as Turkish Cypriots and have culturally integrated, while some embrace a Turkish identity.
Northern Cyprus | Demographics
There is an abandoned mosque, and a new Greek Orthodox church. The Greek-Cypriot population grew inside the British territory to the extent that in 1989 the British administration had to make legal arrangements for election of a village council, as there was still nobody living in the northerly, republican part of the village district. It is the only village with such arrangements in the SBAs except for Akrotiri, which was wholly inside the SBAs from the creation of the Republic and SBAs in 1960. Subsequently housing has been developed on the republican side of the boundary, close to the main road and the motorway.
Paramali | Introduction
Turkish Cypriots or Cypriot Turks ( or "Kıbrıslı Türkler"; ) are mostly ethnic Turks originating from Cyprus. Following the Ottoman conquest of the island in 1571, about 30,000 Turkish settlers were given land once they arrived in Cyprus. Additionally, many of the islanders converted to Islam during the early years of Ottoman rule. The influx of mainly Muslim settlers to Cyprus continued intermittently until the end of the Ottoman period. Today, while Northern Cyprus is home to a significant part of the Turkish Cypriot population, the majority of Turkish Cypriots live abroad, forming the Turkish Cypriot diaspora. This diaspora came into existence after the Ottoman Empire transferred the control of the island to the British Empire, as many Turkish Cypriots emigrated primarily to Turkey and the United Kingdom for political and economic reasons.
Turkish Cypriots | Introduction
Mixed farming settlements of Pontic Greeks were established along most bends of the river at least from the Middle Ages onwards, making it one of the most densely settled valley-systems on the southern coast of the Black Sea. There are hints at earlier settlement by Chaldian peoples, such as a village named "Halt". During most of its history the district and its hinterland were subjugated to nearby Trabzon city. The southern districts Dernekpazarı, Çaykara and Hayrat of Trabzon province and the western half of İkizdere district today part of Rize province were historically also part of the region of Of.
Of, Turkey | Etymology and settlement origins
Despite the restoration of constitutional order and the return of Archbishop Makarios III to Cyprus in December 1974, the Turkish troops remained on the island occupying the northeastern portion of the island. This resulted in the island being divided into its Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities respectively. Many of Kormakitis' residents choose to migrate to the internationally recognised Republic of Cyprus. Before the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, Kormakitis had around 1,000 inhabitants. The number of Maronites has since decreased. It is estimated that between 100 and 165 Maronites remained in the TRNC. The decline in population has been attributed to a lack of jobs and secondary education, leading to migration, migrating mainly to Nicosia and Limassol.
Kormakitis | Contemporary era
Historically, the village was predominantly populated by Greek Cypriots according to census data. The 1831 census, recorded the adult male population as 10 Turkish Cypriots and 163 Greek Cypriots. Around 1300 Greek Cypriots were displaced from the village following the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974. The village was then chosen as the place of resettlement for the displaced Turkish Cypriots of Mari, but only 100 were resettled in the village as they mostly insisted on being closer to the cities. The village was nevertheless renamed Tatlısu in 1975 after the Turkish name of Mari. The rest of the village was repopulated by Turkish farmers who were settled from areas such as Konya, Adana, Araklı, Osmaniye, Çaykara, Kahramanmaraş and Gaziantep.
Akanthou | Demographics
Turkish settlers in Northern Cyprus (Cypriot Turkish: "Türkiyeliler", "those from Turkey"), also referred to as Turkish immigrants () are a group of mainland Turkish people who have settled in Northern Cyprus since the Turkish invasion in 1974. It is estimated that these settlers and their descendants (not including Turkish soldiers) now make up about half the population of Northern Cyprus. The vast majority of the Turkish settlers were given houses and land that legally belong to Greek Cypriots by the government of Northern Cyprus, who is solely recognised by Turkey. The group is heterogeneous in nature and is composed of various sub-groups, with varying degrees of integration.
Turkish settlers in Northern Cyprus | Introduction
The administration allowed Turkish military personnel who participated in the invasion to obtain Turkish Cypriot citizenship and settle in Northern Cyprus. The resettlement of displaced Turkish Cypriots from the south was overseen. Andrew Borowiec wrote that Turkey announced plans to settle 5000 farm workers in the island to take up the abandoned rural possessions of Greek Cypriots. This led to Greek and Greek Cypriot accusations that Turkey was purposefully changing the demographic structure of Cyprus.
Autonomous Turkish Cypriot Administration | Society
Agios Ermolaos (, ) is a village in Cyprus, 5 km east of Kontemenos. It is under the "de facto" control of Northern Cyprus. All of the Agios Ermolaos Greek Cypriots fled before the Turkish army and were displaced as a consequence of the Turkish Invasion of Cyprus in 1974. Formerly enclaved, displaced Turkish Cypriots from the south of the island and Turks from mainland Turkey subsequently moved to this village and it was named Şirinevler in Turkish in 1975.
Agios Ermolaos | Introduction
The Ottoman conquest of Cyprus in 1571 replaced Venetian rule. Despite the inherent oppression of foreign subjugation, the period of Ottoman rule (1570–1878) had a limited impact on Greek Cypriot culture. The Ottomans tended to administer their multicultural empire with the help of their subject "millets", or religious communities. The "millet" system allowed the Greek Cypriot community to survive, administered on behalf of Constantinople by the Archbishop of the Church of Cyprus. Cypriot Greeks were now able to take control of the land they had been working on for centuries. Although religiously tolerant, Ottoman rule was generally harsh and inefficient.
Greek Cypriots | Early modern period
Mainland Turks are generally considered to be more conservative than the highly secularized Turkish Cypriots, and tend to be more in favor of a two-state Cyprus. However, not all settlers support nationalist policies.
Turkish settlers in Northern Cyprus | Introduction
This indicates the fact that many of these houses were built by Greek Cypriot builders. The houses have characteristic bay windows and arches in the interior. They all have inner courtyards, reflecting the conservative, closed Islamic family life of the early 20th century. They lie along narrow, unspoiled streets; the most impressive mansions are located in the Nekipzade, Hacı Emin and Salih Suphi streets.
Lefka | Places of interest
Aside from Turkey, all foreign governments and the United Nations recognise the sovereignty of the Republic of Cyprus over the whole island of Cyprus. Turkey, which does not recognise the Republic of Cyprus, and the Turkish Cypriot administration of the northern part of the island, do not accept the Republic's rule over the whole island and refer to it not by its international name, but as the "Greek Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus". Its territory, a result of the Turkish invasion of 1974 and whose status remains disputed, extends over the northern third of the island. The north proclaimed its independence in 1975.
Politics of Cyprus | Division of Cyprus
A small population of Turkish farmers moved into the region when the Greeks migrated to Greece. The region is popular with tourists today, particularly Christian pilgrims who visit the tomb of Saint Nicholas.
Demre | Introduction
In the aftermath the process of cultural Arabization and Islamization took place, combining immigration to Palestine with the adoption of Arabic language and conversion of the part of local population to Islam.
Greeks in Syria | In Southern Levant
The island of Cyprus is located in the eastern Mediterranean, south of Turkey and west of Syria. In 1964, at the time of the battle, the island was governed by two sovereign state entities—the Republic of Cyprus and the British Sovereign Base Areas. The areas under the jurisdiction of the Republic of Cyprus included a number of large and fortified enclaves, inhabited by the island's Turkish Cypriot minority, which had receded into defensive positions around Turkish controlled villages following a major outbreak of civil unrest in 1963. The Tillyria region of Cyprus was largely enclosed within the Morphou Administrative District in the north-west of the island, forming a large portion of the southern coastline of Morphou Bay.
Battle of Tillyria | Location
The non-citizens can be divided into students and academic staff, tourists, workers with permits and illegitimate workers lacking permits. Farmers settled from Turkey between 1975 and 1977 constitute the majority of the settler population.
Turkish settlers in Northern Cyprus | Sub-groups
A coup d'état in 1974, performed as part of an attempt to annexe the island to Greece, prompted the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. This resulted in the eviction of much of the north's Greek Cypriot population, the flight of Turkish Cypriots from the south, and the partitioning of the island, leading to a unilateral declaration of independence by the north in 1983. Due to its lack of recognition, Northern Cyprus is heavily dependent on Turkey for economic, political and military support. Attempts to reach a solution to the Cyprus dispute have been unsuccessful. The Turkish Army maintains a large force in Northern Cyprus.
History of the Jews in Northern Cyprus | Background of Northern Cyprus
Turkey, in the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus, advanced to occupy about 38% of the island in the north of the Republic of Cyprus and thus transforming the Turkish Cypriot objective of Taksim (partition of the island of Cyprus into Turkish and Greek portions, a concept declared as early as 1957 by Dr. Fazil Küçük) into reality. Greek Cypriots in the north (nearly half the Greek Cypriot population of the island) were forced by the advancing Turkish Army to flee south. Likewise, Turkish Cypriots who had not already fled to the enclaves during the intercommunal violence now chose to do so.
Cypriot refugees | Post-1974
After the restoration of constitutional order and the return of Archbishop Makarios III to Cyprus in December 1974, Turkish troops remained, occupying the northeastern portion of the island. In 1983, the Turkish Cypriot leader proclaimed the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), which is recognised only by Turkey. The events of the summer of 1974 dominate the politics on the island, as well as Greco-Turkish relations. Around 150,000 settlers from Turkey are believed to be living in the north—many of whom were forced from Turkey by the Turkish government—in violation of the Geneva Convention and various UN resolutions. The Turkish invasion, the ensuing occupation and the declaration of independence by the TRNC have been condemned by United Nations resolutions, which are reaffirmed by the Security Council every year.
Cyprus | Post-division
The emigration was exacerbated by the intercommunal violence in the 1950s and 1960s, as Turkish Cypriots had to live in enclaves in Cyprus. Standard Turkish is the official language of Northern Cyprus. The vernacular spoken by Turkish Cypriots is Cypriot Turkish, which has been strongly influenced by Cypriot Greek as well as English.
Turkish Cypriots | Introduction
The latter is home to several specimens of native species that lived in Cyprus in different periods, as well as antiquities from the Neolithic Age to the Byzantine period. The St Mamas Church still annually hosts a Greek Cypriot mass. Bandabuliya (the closed market) is an important commercial center and was built in the 1930s in the British colonial architecture. The town is the home of Binatlı Yılmaz S.K., a football club that spent the 2014-15 season in the KTFF 1. Lig, the second highest division. They finished the season in the third place and achieved promotion into the Süper Lig.
Morphou | Culture
Turkish military intervention followed and Turkish forces occupied around 38% of the northern part of the island. This invasion caused an exodus of about 160,000 Greek Cypriots to the south. Later voluntary regrouping of population resulted in another 10,000 Greek Cypriots leaving the northern part, and 40,000 Turkish Cypriots moving to the north, which created two homogeneous ethnic zones on the island.
Protracted social conflict | Protracted social conflict in Cyprus
A coup d'état in Cyprus on 15 July 1974 by Greeks and Greek Cypriots favouring union with Greece (also known as "Enosis") was followed by military intervention by Turkey whose troops established Turkish Cypriot control over the northern part of the island. Hence, census's conducted by the Republic of Cyprus have excluded the Turkish Cypriot population that had settled in the unrecognised Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Between 1975 and 1981, Turkey encouraged its own citizens to settle in Northern Cyprus; a report by CIA suggests that 200,000 of the residents of Cyprus are Turkish.
Turkish people | Cyprus
Southern Greece () is a loosely defined geographical term, usually encompassing the Peloponnese peninsula and varying parts of Continental Greece (Attica is usually included), as well as the islands of the Cyclades, the Dodecanese, and Crete. It has never corresponded to a specific administrative or other entity, but is usually defined in juxtaposition with Northern Greece.
Southern Greece | Introduction
The history of the Jews in Northern Cyprus is related to the history of the Jews in Cyprus, history of the Jews in Turkey, and the history of the Jews in Greece.
History of the Jews in Northern Cyprus | Introduction
The southwestern portion of the forest was originally called "Chilia Dentra" (), or "Thousand Trees", as it was one of the parts that was spared deforestation during the Ottoman period. It was during the Ottoman period that the area received the name , or Şeyh Su in the modern Turkish alphabet, meaning . The name is derived from a spring located near a mausoleum within the forest. The name has since entered the Greek language as (Σέιχ Σου). It received its current name of Kedrinos Lofos (), or "Cedar Hill", in 1987 when a local author, Georgios Vafopoulos, suggested it in Thessaloniki's city council.
Kedrinos Lofos | Etymology
Greek Cypriots have influences from Greece and Christianity, while Turkish Cypriots have influences from Turkey and Islam. The Limassol Carnival Festival is an annual carnival which is held at Limassol, in Cyprus. The event which is very popular in Cyprus was introduced in the 20th century.
Cyprus | Culture
The Turkish advance halted when it reached the edge of the Dhekelia Sovereign Base Area to avoid military conflict with the United Kingdom. In the Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area a tented refugee camp was set up at "Happy Valley" (part of the Episkopi Cantonment) to house Turkish Cypriots fleeing from Limassol and the villages surrounding the Area, until in 1975 they were flown out of RAF Akrotiri via Turkey to northern Cyprus. Some Greek Cypriot refugees remain housed on land in the parts of Trachoni and Kolossi villages that fall within the Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area.
Akrotiri and Dhekelia | History
Tavros (, literally 'Bull', ) is a village in the Famagusta District of Cyprus , located on the Karpass Peninsula. It is in the southern part of the peninsula between Bogaz and Koma Yialou (Kumyali), 1½ miles from the peninsula's south coast. It is under the "de facto" control of Northern Cyprus. Until the invasion, Tavros was inhabited by Greek Cypriots. In 1891, the village population was 138 Greek Cypriots. Ten years later there were 167 Greek Cypriots. By 1960 there were 311 Greek Cypriots and 1 Turkish Cypriot. During the invasion, in August 1974, most of the population fled southwards.
Tavros, Cyprus | Introduction
Many of these graduates in due course ended up as teachers in the growing number of urban and rural schools that had begun to proliferate across the island by the 1920s. In 1914 the Ottoman Empire joined the First World War against the Allied Forces and Britain annexed the island. Cyprus's Muslim inhabitants were officially asked to choose between adopting either British nationality or retaining their Ottoman subject status; about 4,000–8,500 Muslims decided to leave the island and move to Turkey. Following its defeat in World War I, the Ottoman Empire were faced with the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922) whereby the Greek incursion into Anatolia aimed at claiming what Greece believed to be historically Greek territory.
Turkish Cypriots | British Cyprus
The basis for the emergence of a sizeable and enduring Turkish community in Cyprus emerged when Ottoman troops landed on the island in mid-May 1570 and seized it within a year from Venetian rule. The post-conquest period established a significant Muslim community which consisted of soldiers from the campaign who remained behind and further settlers who were brought from Anatolia as part of a traditional Ottoman population policy. There were also new converts to Islam on the island during the early years of Ottoman rule. Genetic analysis of Y chromosomes (inherited from father to son) revealed that Turkish and Greek Cypriots have a high genetic affinity and share primarily a common pre-Ottoman paternal ancestry.
Turkish Cypriots | Ottoman Cyprus
In 1878 the Muslim inhabitants of Cyprus constituted about one-third of the island's population of 120,000. They were classified as being either Turkish or "neo-Muslim." The latter were of Greek origin, Islamised but speaking Greek, and similar in character to the local Christians. The last of such groups was reported to arrive at Antalya in 1936. These communities are thought to have abandoned Greek in the course of integration. During the 1950s, there were still four Greek speaking Muslim settlements in Cyprus: Lapithou, Platanisso, Ayios Simeon and Galinoporni that identified themselves as Turks. A 2017 study on the genetics of Turkish Cypriots has shown strong genetic ties with their fellow Orthodox Greek Cypriots.
Greek Muslims | Greek Cypriot Muslims
Cyprus, an island lying in the eastern Mediterranean, hosted a population of Greeks and Turks (four-fifths and one-fifth, respectively), who lived under British rule in the early 20th century. Christian Orthodox Church of Cyprus played a prominent political role among the Greek Cypriot community, a privilege that it acquired during the Ottoman Empire with the employment of the millet system, which gave the archbishop an unofficial ethnarch status.
Cypriot intercommunal violence | Background
Many non-Christian sites have been affected by the looting and destruction of northern Cyprus. During the time of the invasion, work on archaeological sites was halted. While the projects on the Greek-Cypriot southern area were started again after a short period of delay, the projects in the Turkish north were never started again. Many of the houses and workshops associated with archaeological projects in the north were looted, so the work that had been done was lost to the researchers. Many areas on the island of Cyprus were damaged by bombing and machine gun fire, and because of these issues, the pavement mosaics of the House of Dionysos in Paphos suffered extensive damage.
Looted art | Non-Christian places of importance
The internationally recognized government of the Republic of Cyprus ("de facto" the Greek Cypriot south of the island) has no diplomatic relations with Turkey as the government of Turkey does not recognize the legitimacy of the Republic of Cyprus.
Embassy of Northern Cyprus, Ankara | Introduction
These people were displaced due to the flooding of their village by a dam that was built, and were given a choice between moving to Cyprus and other regions in Turkey; some chose Cyprus. Christos Ioannides argued that these people had no political motivations for this choice; interviews with some have indicated that some did not know the location of Cyprus before moving there. After the applications of the prospective settlers were approved, they were transported to the port of Mersin in buses specially arranged by the state. They exited Turkey using passports, one of which were issued for every family, and then took the ferry to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Cyprus.
Turkish settlers in Northern Cyprus | History
The island lies within the Anatolian Plate. Geopolitically, the island is subdivided into four main segments. The Republic of Cyprus occupies the southern two-thirds of the island (59.74%). The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus occupies the northern third (34.85%), and the United Nations-controlled Green Line provides a buffer zone that separates the two and covers 2.67% of the island. Lastly, two bases under British sovereignty are located on the island: Akrotiri and Dhekelia, covering the remaining 2.74%.
Cyprus | Geography
A coup d'état in 1974, performed as part of an attempt to annex the island to Greece, prompted the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. This resulted in the eviction of much of the north's Greek Cypriot population, the flight of Turkish Cypriots from the south, and the partitioning of the island, leading to a unilateral declaration of independence by the north in 1983. Due to its lack of recognition, Northern Cyprus is heavily dependent on Turkey for economic, political and military support.
Northern Cyprus | Introduction
In 1963, during the outbreak of hostilities between the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities, following the announcement of amendments to the Cypriot Constitution, Turkish Cypriots withdrew to the northern part of Nicosia which became one of the many Turkish Cypriot enclaves which existed throughout the island. Various streets which ran between the northern and southern part of the city, including Ledra Street, were blockaded. During the Turkish army invasion of Cyprus in 1974, Turkish troops occupied northern Nicosia (as well as the northern part of Cyprus). A buffer zone was established across the island along the ceasefire line to separate the northern Turkish controlled part of the island, and the south.
Nicosia | South of the Green Line
The culture of Northern Cyprus is the pattern of human activity and symbolism associated with Northern Cyprus and Turkish Cypriots. It features significant elements influenced by or developed upon the culture of Turkey, but combines these elements with a unique Cypriot approach and local traditions (in common with Greek Cypriots), as well as several other influences, such as the British and contemporary western cultures.
Culture of Northern Cyprus | Introduction
Modern scholars locate its site near Tatarlı, Afyonkarahisar Province, Asian Turkey.
Metropolis (southern Phrygia) | Introduction
Rauf Denktaş, the Turkish Cypriot leader, called for military intervention by the United Kingdom and Turkey to prevent "enosis". Turkey acted unilaterally, and the Turkish invasion of Cyprus began. Turkey has since occupied Northern Cyprus. The events of 1974 caused the geographic partition of Cyprus and massive population transfers. The subsequent events seriously undermined the "enosis" movement. The departure of Turkish Cypriots from the areas that remained under effective control of Cyprus resulted in a homogeneous Greek Cypriot society in the southern two thirds of the island. The remaining third of the island is increasingly colonised by Turkish settlers.
Enosis | After independence
Frescoes found in possession of Dikmen included those from the 11th–12th century Church of Panagia Pergaminiotisa in Akanthou, which had been completely stripped of its ornate frescoes. According to a Greek Cypriot claim, since 1974, at least 55 churches have been converted into mosques and another 50 churches and monasteries have been converted into stables, stores, hostels, or museums, or have been demolished. According to the government spokesman of the "de facto" Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, this has been done to keep the buildings from falling into ruin. In January 2011, the British singer Boy George returned an 18th-century icon of Christ to the Church of Cyprus that he had bought without knowing the origin.
Turkish invasion of Cyprus | Destruction of cultural heritage
Kourtaka or Kourdaka (, ) is an abandoned Turkish Cypriot village in the Paphos District of Cyprus, located 8 km west of Ayios Photios. A settlement between Choulou and Letymvou, Kourdaka is a rare case of a community that has overcome desertion and abandonment, and instead, it has gained new life since 2012 with newcomers who have chosen to live in the area. Historically, this small mountain village of Pafos, under the Frankish and Venetian domination, was a royal fief that changed hands, was gifted or leased among royal families and feudal lords of the time. Although it was mainly a Greek village, during the Ottoman domination, and more specifically in the 17th-18th century, its population changed its faith and were turned into Muslims, something confirmed by censuses during the British domination of the island.
Kourtaka | Introduction
Southeast Anatolia is south of the Anti-Taurus Mountains. It is a region of rolling hills and a broad plateau surface that extends into Syria. Elevations decrease gradually, from about 800 meters in the north to about 500 meters in the south. Traditionally, wheat and barley were the main crops of the region, but the inauguration of major new irrigation projects in the 1980s has led to greater agricultural diversity and development.
Geography of Turkey | Southeastern Anatolia Region
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Cyprus: Cyprus – Eurasian island country located in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and Lebanon, northwest of Israel and north of Egypt. Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea and the Republic of Cyprus is a member state of the European Union.
Outline of Cyprus | Introduction
The place used to be a Greek village called Kouvouklia (or Kouvoukleia) in the Ottoman Empire and for several hundred years in the Byzantine Empire before that. The ethnic Greeks who hadn't already fled Kouvouklia were forced to leave in 1922 due to the population exchange between Greece and Turkey. In addition to college students, today's citizens include many descendants of Turks who emigrated from Greece as a result of the population exchange agreement in the 1920s after the Turkish War of Independence.
Görükle | History
Due to this stance, the TRNC refuses any official recognition of the government of the Republic of Cyprus, calling it the ""Greek Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus"", and referring to its President as the ""Greek Cypriot Leader"". Turkey backs this position.
Foreign relations of Northern Cyprus | Cyprus
Residents of the village were forcibly evicted by the Turkish army, whilst some left the village gradually because of restrictions on freedom of movement and education, and to reunite with family members who were taken as prisoners and ended up in the southern portion of the island after they were returned. In 1976, displaced Turkish Cypriots from the Kokkina exclave (Turkish Erenköy) were resettled in the village, and it was renamed "Yeni Erenköy" ("New Erenköy").
Gialousa | Introduction
When the Ottoman Empire collapsed and the Turkish Republic was founded (during and after the First World War) Beyoğlu went into gradual decline. The decline accelerated with the departure of the large Greek population of Pera and adjacent Galata as a result of Turkish pressure over the Cyprus conflict, during the 1950s and 1960s. The widespread political violence between leftist and rightist groups which troubled Turkey in the late 1970s also severely affected the lifestyle of the district, and accelerated its decline with the flight of the middle-class citizens to newer suburban areas such as Levent and Yeşilköy. By the late 1980s, many of the grandiose Neoclassical and Art Nouveau apartment-blocks, formerly the residences of the late Ottoman élite, became home to immigrants from the countryside.
Beyoğlu | 20th-21st centuries
However, a significant Muslim emigration from the town to Anatolia took place between 1881 and 1931, reducing the Muslim population ratio to only 36% in 1901, 32.5% in 1911, 30% in 1921, and 24% in 1931. One explanation for this exodus may be the general anxiety that prevailed among the island's Muslim population during the Balkan and First World wars, when the Ottomans fought against Greece in the former and Britain in the latter. Proclamation of the island as a British colony in 1924 caused further Turkish Cypriot emigration to Anatolia, symptomatic of the weak bond the Cypriot Turkish population had with the town.
Kyrenia | Ottoman rule
Cyprus is an island in the Eastern Basin of the Mediterranean Sea. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean, after the Italian islands of Sicily and Sardinia, and the 80th largest island in the world by area. It is located south of the Anatolian peninsula, so it may be included in Western Asia or the Middle East: Cyprus is close to Southern Europe, and Northern Africa, and has had lengthy periods of mainly Greek and intermittent Anatolian, Levantine, Byzantine, Turkish, and Western European influence. The island is dominated by two mountain ranges, the Troodos Mountains and the Kyrenia Mountains or Pentadaktylos, and the central plain, the Mesaoria, between them.
Geography of Cyprus | Introduction
Enclaved Greek Cypriots are the Greek Cypriots who have remained in enclaved villages in Northern Cyprus after the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974. In 2014, the population of Greek Cypriots was 343. The Greek Cypriots in Rizokarpaso elects their muhtar in the elections organized in the south by Republic of Cyprus (that has no legal personality in the laws of Northern Cyprus). The Greek Cypriots have no right to vote or run in elections.
Greek Cypriots in Northern Cyprus | Introduction
Even after the foundation of Nea Paphos in the late 4th century BC, Palaiaphos did not lose its significance. It remained a central place of worship in the Mediterranean world and cult worship of Aphrodite continued at this site until the Christian Roman emperor Theodosius I outlawed all pagan worship in 391 AD. Modern construction in the town of Kouklia has unfortunately obliterated much of the remains at Palaiaphos. However, enough remains that Roman built temples can be identified apart from earlier constructions. These buildings are situated on an East/West orientation, and are located in the Northern part of the sanctuary complex.
Roman Cyprus | Palaiaphos ("Old Paphos")
The Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia ( SBA; , "Periochés Kyríarchon Váseon Akrotiríou ke Dekélias"; ) is a British Overseas Territory on the island country of Cyprus. The areas, which include British military bases and installations, as well as other land, were retained by the British under the 1960 treaty of independence, signed by the United Kingdom, Greece, Turkey and representatives from the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities, which granted independence to the Crown colony of Cyprus. The territory serves an important role as a station for signals intelligence and provides a vital strategic part of the United Kingdom communications gathering and monitoring network in the Mediterranean and the Middle East.
Akrotiri and Dhekelia | Introduction
The island of Cyprus has been occupied by various invading groups over the centuries, and as a result, contains a mix of different cultures. The population is largely Greek, but with a sizeable Turkish minority. The presence of this Turkish population is due to the historical influence of the Ottoman Empire, which the island was a part of for nearly 340 years until 1919.
Operation SNOWGOOSE | Background
Southern Sporades (Greek "Nóties Sporádes") are Greek islands situated between the Cyclades and Turkey. They correspond to the Dodecanese plus a few northern islands (especially Samos and Ikaria). Also included by some geographers are the islands of Chios and Lesbos.
Southern Sporades | Introduction
The exact location of the villages in Turkey is not known but they are close to Saranta Ekklisies (Σαράντα Εκκλησίες, Kırklareli in Turkish). The new village was established by refugees, mostly as part of the Population Exchange between Greece and Turkey in 1923 Exchange of Greek Orthodox and Muslim Populations, in addition to any refugees fleeing Turkish persecution after the 1922 Greek military campaign in Asia Minor. The village is part of the municipal unit Gallikos along with the villages of Nea Santa, Galliko, Kambani, Mandres and other smaller villages.
Pedino, Kilkis | Introduction
As a result of the Armenian Genocide under Ottoman Empire in early 1900s, Armenians from Adana, Taşucu, and other coastal cities of Anatolia managed to escape to Cyprus and find refuge in their historic village. Today the village is the choice of residence of wealthy businessmen from Cyprus, Russia, Armenia and other countries. It has a population of 187 people.
Armenochori, Cyprus | Modern
Following the population exchange in 1923, the Greek refugees from Cius established the town of Nea Kios, in Argolis, Greece and the village of Paralia, in Pieria, Greece. There are only few remnants of the ancient town and its harbour today. Somewhat more to the west, the new modern town of Gemlik, Bursa Province, Turkey is found.
Cius | Modern history
The history of the Jews in Turkey (, Turkish Jews; "Yehudim Turkim", ) covers the 2400 years that Jews have lived in what is now Turkey. There have been Jewish communities in Anatolia since at least the fifth century BCE and many Spanish and Portuguese Jews expelled from Spain by the Alhambra Decree were welcomed into the Ottoman Empire in the late 15th century, including regions now part of Turkey, centuries later, forming the bulk of the Ottoman Jews. Today, the vast majority of Turkish Jews live in Israel, while modern-day Turkey continues to host a modest Jewish population.
History of the Jews in Northern Cyprus | Connection to the Jews of Turkey
An article in the "Dom Research Center-KURI Journal" said that "Orthodox Christian Gypsies were also forcibly moved by the Turkish-Cypriot government from the area around Iskele to form a new community in Yeni Iskele or Skala".
Skala (neighborhood in Larnaca) | History
Since then, the southern part of the country has been under the control of the internationally recognized government of Cyprus and the northern part under the control of the government of Northern Cyprus.
History of Cyprus since 1878 | Greek coup d'état and Turkish invasion
Northern Cyprus has an area of , which amounts to around a third of the island. to the north of Northern Cyprus lies Turkey with Syria lying to the east. It lies between latitudes 34° and 36° N, and longitudes 32° and 35° E. The coastline of Northern Cyprus features two bays: the Morphou Bay and the Famagusta Bay, and there are four capes: Cape Apostolos Andreas, Cape Kormakitis, Cape Zeytin and Cape Kasa, with Cape Apostolos Andreas being the endpoint of the Karpaz Peninsula. The narrow Kyrenia mountain range lies along the northern coastline, and the highest point in Northern Cyprus, Mount Selvili, lies in this mountain range with an altitude of .
Northern Cyprus | Geography
The Greek-Cypriot diaspora refers to the Greek Cypriot population of Cyprus, or people who are of Greek Cypriot origins, who live abroad because of either economic reasons, or were part of the Greek population that was uprooted from their homes in Northern Cyprus by the Turkish Invasion of Cyprus when the island was divided, into the Greek-Cypriot controlled southern two-thirds and the Turkish-controlled northern one-third in 1974. Many Greek Cypriots migrated to the UK in the 1950s and 1960s for economic reasons, but many also fled, leaving their island country behind after the Turkish invasion of 1974. Today, the majority of Greek Cypriots living abroad are in the United Kingdom, particularly in North London, many around the Southgate neighbourhood.
Greek Cypriot diaspora | Introduction
The patriarch serving the Ottoman sultan acted as "ethnarch", or leader of the Greek nation, and gained secular powers as a result of the gradual dysfunction of Ottoman rule, for instance in adjudicating justice and in the collection of taxes. Turkish settlers suffered alongside their Greek Cypriot neighbors, and the two groups together endured centuries of oppressive governance from Constantinople. A minority of Greek Cypriots converted to Islam during this period, and are sometimes referred to as "neo-Muslims" by historians.
Greek Cypriots | Early modern period
After the Turkish invasion and the ensuing 1975 Vienna agreements, 60,000 Turkish Cypriots who lived in the south of the island fled to the north. The 1974–1975 movement was strictly organised by the Provisional Turkish Administration who tried to preserve village communities intact.
Turkish Cypriots | Republic of Cyprus
These Greek-speaking Christian subjects, and their Turkish-speaking Ottoman rulers, lived in relative harmony from the end of the turbulent Ottoman conquest of the region in the 14th century until the early 20th century, when the rise of nationalism led to persecution of minorities within the Ottoman realm and the eventual creation of modern Turkey by the Turkish National Movement. The massacres of Greeks and other Christian minorities in the Ottoman Empire during World War I (1914–1918) led to the almost total depopulation of the town's 6,500 Greek inhabitants by 1918. These former inhabitants were bereaved of their properties and became refugees in Greece, or they died in Ottoman forced labour battalions (cf.
Kayaköy | Introduction
Historically, the town had a mixed population, consisting of a majority of Greek Cypriots and a minority of Turkish Cypriots. The 1946 census recorded a population of 2,530 Greek Cypriots and 473 Turkish Cypriots, totalling 3,003. A number of residents of Pano Lefkara migrated overseas in the 1950s, such that by 1960, the total population had dropped to 2,075, with 1,714 Greek Cypriots and 361 Turkish Cypriots. Around 400 Turkish Cypriots fled from the village and were displaced to the nearby Kofinou during the intercommunal violence in December 1963-January 1964. They were displaced once again to Northern Cyprus following the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974, being resettled to the village of Agios Theodoros (Çayırova).
Pano Lefkara | British period and independence
The Ottoman Empire's millet system was abolished during British administration. In this period, the people of Cyprus were split into two main groups in censuses and administrative records. Because of the polarization politics of the British administration, Linobambaki were integrated into the Turkish Cypriot community. There were still Greek speaking settlements that identified themselves as Turkish Cypriots during the 1950s; settlements such as Lapithos, Platanissos, Agios Symeon and Galinoporni. There is currently a non-governmental organization called "LINOBAMBAKI" in Cyprus.
Linobambaki | Today
The policy of settling farmers in Cyprus began immediately after the 1974 invasion. Andrew Borowiec wrote of a Turkish announcement that 5000 agricultural workers would be settled to take up possessions left behind by the displaced Greek Cypriots. According to Hatay, the first group of such settlers arrived on the island in February 1975; heavy settlement continued until 1977. These farmers originated from various regions of Turkey, including the Black Sea Region (Trabzon, Çarşamba, Samsun), the Mediterranean Region (Antalya, Adana, Mersin) and the Central Anatolia Region (Konya). In February 1975, the number of "workers" from Turkey in the island was 910.
Turkish settlers in Northern Cyprus | History
The people of Cyprus are broadly divided into two main ethnic communities, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, who share many cultural traits but maintain distinct identities based on ethnicity, religion, language, and close ties with their respective motherlands. Before the dispute started in 1964 the peoples of Cyprus (then 78% Greeks, 17% Turks, 5% other communities, including Armenians and Maronites) were dispersed over the entire island. The Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974 de facto partitioned the island into two political areas: 99.5% of Greek Cypriots now live in the Republic of Cyprus while 98.7% of Turkish Cypriots live in Northern Cyprus (of other nationalities, 99.2% live in the Greek Cypriot area in the south).
Demographics of Cyprus | Introduction
This form of theater has lost its popularity nowadays, but remains to be televised during religious festivals. After the 1840s, as the Ottoman Empire started modernizing, theater with greater European elements met with the Turkish Cypriot public. However, the inception of Turkish Cypriot theater in the modern sense is considered the staging of the play "Vatan Yahut Silistre" ("Homeland vs. Silistra") by Turkish playwright Namık Kemal in 1908. This was followed by a proliferation of theatrical activity in the Turkish Cypriot community as local plays were written and staged and theatrical companies from Turkey took the stage in Cyprus by the 1920s, all the major towns in Cyprus had Turkish Cypriot plays that were performed regularly.
Culture of Northern Cyprus | Theater
In the aftermath the process of cultural Arabization and Islamization took place, combining immigration to Palestine with the adoption of Arabic language and conversion of the part of local population to Islam.
Antiochian Greek Christians | In Southern Levant
Galinoporni (; ) is a Turkish Cypriot village in Cyprus, located on the southern side of the Karpas Peninsula. Galinoporni is under the "de facto" control of Northern Cyprus. As of 2011, it had a population of 333. The village has a steady population but is also inhabited in the summer months by villagers who emigrated to the United Kingdom as a result of the Cyprus Dispute. The main religion is Islam though there are Christian sites of interest nearby. Cypriot Turkish is the most commonly spoken dialect, though most elderly inhabitants can speak and understand both Turkish and Greek, with some speaking Greek as a first language.
Galinoporni | Introduction
It has a secular legal system with heavy influence of modern-day Turkish laws. Info about whether civil or common law applies remains very vague.
Application of Sharia by country | Northern Cyprus
As a result, the Turkish-Cypriot forces had control of the Nicosia – Kyrenia highway, and access to the coastal area north of the Pentadaktylos. With the Bogaz pass in Turkish hands, the Greek forces had to use longer routes to access the north coast, namely the Panagra pass, on westesn Pentadaktylos. Other significant Turkish-Cypriot enclaves were that of Famagusta, of Lefka, of Tziaos (Serdarli), of Limasol, of Larnaka, of Pafos, of Limnitis, of Kokkina and of Louroutzina.
Military operations during the Turkish invasion of Cyprus | Turkish-Cypriot forces
Turkish Cypriot cities and towns regularly organize festivals that include performances of local and international singers and bands. Some Turkish Cypriot singers, such as Ziynet Sali and Işın Karaca, have achieved fame in Turkey. The Turkish Cypriot band Sıla 4 produced music that is considered essential for the Turkish Cypriot identity, and also acquired fame in Turkey. Rock and pop music are popular with the public in Northern Cyprus, important singers and bands include SOS and Fikri Karayel.
Culture of Northern Cyprus | Contemporary music
Turkish Cypriot Dipkarpaz Sports Club was founded in 1978,; its football team in 2015 played in Cyprus Turkish Football Association (CTFA) K-PET 2nd League. Education in the town includes a primary school and the "Recep Tayyip Erdogan" Secondary School. The town hosts some small touristic facilities. Twenty kilometres east lies the "Golden Beach", a pristine 5km long beach, and the Apostolos Andreas Monastery.
Rizokarpaso | Culture and tourism
The village is currently mainly inhabited by its original Turkish Cypriot inhabitants, however, there is a military camp in the village, and a large segment of the population consists of the family of military personnel.
Skylloura | Introduction
Cyprus remains divided today, with the two communities almost completely separated. Many Greek Cypriots, most of whom lost their homes, lands and possessions during the Turkish invasion, emigrated mainly to the UK, USA, Australia, South Africa and Europe. There are today estimated to be 335,000 Greek Cypriot emigrants living in Great Britain. The majority of the Greek Cypriots in Great Britain currently live in England; there is an estimate of around 3,000 in Wales and 1,000 in Scotland. By the early 1990s, Greek Cypriot society enjoyed a high standard of living. Economic modernization created a more flexible and open society and caused Greek Cypriots to share the concerns and hopes of other secularized West European societies.
Greek Cypriots | Modern history