Lefkoşa had been the capital of Cyprus since the 7^th century and was once a prosperous and prominent city for many.  Buildings, monasteries and churches have been built in a prolific fashion during the city’s long history, but Lefkoşa has also unfortunately been a place of many conflicts – such as the invasion by the Marmelukes in 1426 and the subsequent arrival of the Venetians.  They reduced the city in size and fortified it with the walls that still remain to this day.  In the process of altering the city the Venetians also destroyed many fine examples of architecture spanning hundreds of years, including the resting place of the Lusignan monarchs.

In 1570 the city fell to the Ottoman Empire, and much like in other areas of Cyprus at this time, Lefkoşa fell in to disrepair and decay.  There are but a few examples of Ottoman architecture left in the city today.  The British arrived in Lefkoşa in 1878 and their mark on the city is evident with some wonderful Colonial style buildings, one of these now houses the central Post Office.  However the British also knocked down parts of the Venetian wall structure that would have been connected to the Kyrenia Gate, the entrance to the city, which now stands on its own.  This was done in the name of allowing traffic to flow more freely apparently!

In 1963 Lefkoşa was effectively divided into Greek and Turkish areas to suppress clashes between the two communities; the Green Line was firmly established by a British Military Commander who famously took a map and drew a line with a green pen to divide the city for the sake of peace.  The name for the border that divides the two Cypriot communities has been known as the Green Line ever since.  The division became absolute and formalised in 1974.

The Green Line is now open, (as of 2008), via the Lokmacı Crossing which is located in the heart of the city near to the market centre.  To cross the border to the south at any of the check points you will need a valid passport and you will also need to fill in a short visa form which is available from the passport control offices on the Turkish Cypriot half of the border.  The fact that since 2004 EU citizens are free to cross from one side of the city to the other means that we can now all enjoy Lefkoşa as a whole, and get a better understanding of the Cypriot people and a wider appreciation of Cyprus.

There are a myriad of sights to see in Lefkoşa, many of the most ancient ones are now being aided and improved by various restoration projects funded by the UN and European Union, and the city also has one of the largest arts and cultural centres in North Cyprus.  Many of the historical buildings, museums and monuments are located on the Blue Line walk, a project created by the UN to identify a circular route that visitors can take to tour these sites.  There are many more sites and sounds and experiences to be had in Lefkoşa, so do take time to read through our related articles covering museums, walking tours and sightseeing opportunities which will give you plenty of food for thought on what to do and where to go in Lefkoşa.  It really is a great city!

The recent history of Cyprus is almost as turbulent as the island’s ancient history, and it has resulted in us living on a divided island to this day.  There are many books written about the Cyprus Divide and we can only suggest that knowledge is sought by yourselves in to how this divide came to be.

Recent History

The entire island of Cyprus is a former British colony; after many years of resistance to the ongoing British rule the island gained its independence in 1960 after the signing of the Treaty of Zurich, which also was designed to protect the rights of the Turkish Cypriot population. The treaties guarantors were Turkey, Great Britain and Greece.  A peaceful state did not remain for long because by December 1963 ongoing tension between the Greek Cypriot majority and Turkish Cypriot minority came to a head.  The trouble initially broke out in the capital city of Lefkoşa )Nicosia but quickly spread and led to the intervention of UN peacekeepers in 1964.

Unfortunately the trouble continued over the next ten years and forced many Turkish Cypriots to flee to enclaves.  In 1974 you could say that final decisive action was taken when Greece sponsored a coup to overthrow the Cypriot government and this led to military intervention from Turkey.

Turkey secured roughly one third of the island for the Turkish Cypriots and in 1983 this Turkish controlled third of the island declared itself the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).  To this day TRNC is not officially recognised by the rest of the world apart from Turkey.

In 2004 in a referendum of the people relating to the proposed reunification of the island, Greek Cypriots under President Tassos Papadopoulos voted ‘no,’ and the Turkish Cypriots under Rauf Denktaş voted ‘yes’ to the Annan Plan, a proposed UN settlement presided over by the then head of the UN Kofi Annan.

The Leaders from both South and North Cyprus continue to hold regular talks to see if there can be a solution to the Cyprus Problem.  In the meantime, south Cyprus has become part of Europe, whilst the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus continues to suffer isolation from embargoes placed upon it due to its ‘unrecognised’ status in the world.

Please click on any of the tags below for more information on related subjects such as past history and the TRNC government.

In recent years the construction industry has played in a big part in North Cyprus’ developing fortunes.  A building boom started in 2002 – 2003 and created an opportunity for foreign buyers to buy up holiday homes at relatively cheap prices – particularly when compared to other parts of Europe – and this helped the economy in North Cyprus enormously.  The rate of GDP growth went from 6.9% to 15.4% between 2002 and 2004, giving a good indication of just how much the industry contributed to the country’s fiscal wellbeing.

North Cyprus also manages to get by economically speaking thanks to its main service industries such as tourism, (although projected figures are not good for the next few years thanks to the state of the global economy), and the university based education sector.  North Cyprus  also has manufacturing sectors which help support the economy, and agriculture still has an important part to play with citrus fruits, potatoes and other vegetables being the main products produced, sold and exported to Turkey for example.  The stability of the Turkish lira in recent years has also helped to sustain growth.

North Cyprus sells around half of its exports to countries in the Middle East, but is still fairly dependent on foreign aid, aid programmes and development loans from Turkey.  Since the border between the North and South of the island opened in 2003, there has been an increase in the retail sector, mainly clothing related, with Greek Cypriots spending their cash in the North.

During the election run up, which happens in North Cyprus with much fanfare and hype, with hire cars being used to drive around every city, town and village, horns blaring and slogans being shouted, UBP had been the main party tipped to topple the current leadership.  Mehmet Ali Talat, the current President of TRNC, had a key ally in CTP for the ongoing peace negotiations between the north and south of the island, officially separated by a dividing line since 1974.

UBP gained just over 44% of the vote, whilst CTP only managed to attain around 29%.  It would therefore seem that CTP has taken the brunt of mishandling the country’s economy at a time when it required strong leadership and management given the world’s current financial woes.  UBP have also gained 26 seats in Parliament meaning that there will be no coalition government which has been the norm in previous leaderships.

UBP, along with its leader Derviş Eroğlu, are known to support a federal state solution to the ‘Cyprus problem’, whereas CTP had been more in favour for a bizonal confederation, and one which had also been agreeable in principle to Greek Cypriots.  Peace talks could well be affected by the change in stance from the new government, although Mehmet Ali Talat remains in power until 2010 and he has stated that a new government should not deter the current negotiation process.

So, there you have it, a party returning to power, and one which could see the future of North Cyprus take another interesting turn in its history!

The results of this census gave the total number of permanent residents (defined as those who reside in a place for a year or longer) as 256,644, and the number of people who were on the island on that day as 265,100.

This produced an amazing increase in the permanent population with Kyrenia having an increase of 60%, Lefkosa 37%, Famagusta by 21%, Iskele by 14% and Guzelyurt by 13% since the last census.  The permanent population had increased as a whole by 36%, with a total of 138,568 males and 118,076 females living in North Cyprus.

There are no statistics on the balance of local Cypriots, foreigners, religions or other ethnic groups, but we can at least reach the conclusion that the population of North Cyprus is most certainly on the increase!

The last census held was in 2006 when the population totalled around 166,049.  Censuses are normally held every decade in North Cyprus, with the next one due to take place in 2016.