Nicosia - the last divided capital

Most travel to Cyprus is connected with resort towns and villages - Limassol, Paphos, and the Famagusta region.

Most travel to Cyprus is connected with resort towns and villages - Limassol, Paphos, and the Famagusta region. But in order to fully understand the history and cultural traditions of this island state, it is worth visiting the capital of the island.

The first mentions of settlements on the site of modern Nicosia date back to the 11th century AD. Historians believe that the first name of the city was Ledra. Later, there was the Greek city-state of Leftokeon, which residents of different countries, from Turks to Byzantines, considered the capital of the island. Byzantines, Venetians, Turks and other nationalities came as conquerors to these places and left a deep mark in the history of both the city and the island. It is no coincidence that in the 20th century, different views on the structure of the world, which are reflected in the religions of different states, again collided in Cyprus. As a result of these clashes, since 1974, Nicosia has been a unique divided capital of two worlds - the Greek (already essentially European) and Turkish (eastern world). To this day, the island is considered divided into Northern Cyprus, where about 100,000 Turks live, and the Republic of Cyprus (South) - the part that is most often interesting to us as tourists and travelers, beach lovers. In this regard, modern Nicosia looks appropriately.

Since 1975, the city has been crossed by the “green” demarcation line. It literally separates the Old City and the citadel of Nicosia. The old districts of the city carry the legacy of the events of 1974-75 in the form of checkpoints and military barriers: soldiers, flags of the two countries on opposite sides, posters, abandoned houses. Until now, even a number of museums in Cyprus on both sides of the barricades testify to the patriotism of each side and carry political content to their visitors. Although over the years, the "green" line is gradually becoming a thing of the past, the differences have not been settled.

Of the sights of the capital, for example, Turkish mosques are noteworthy, which in fact are Catholic churches converted in the Middle Ages. This is, for example, the Selemie mosque. The Catholic Church of St. George was converted into Turkish baths in the 14th century, but the baths are still in use. The greatest interest among connoisseurs of the history and culture of these places is caused by fortifications - bastions and fortress walls, the construction of which dates back to the 16th century. They were erected during the rule of the Venetians here. In the Greek side of Nicosia you will find the Gothic Church of Our Lady, the gateway to Famagusta, and, like the Turkish side, a number of different museums.

The world is constantly changing, new people come to life, outlooks on life are changing. It remains to be hoped that the beautiful capital of Cyprus will also gain its integrity and be able to appear before us as an example of the harmonious coexistence of different peoples and cultures, without all sorts of political and religious conflicts.


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