Today was super interesting for me, because I got the chance to cross the Green Line (a UN border that splits Cyprus due to the Turkish occupation that divided the country 50 years ago) and see the northern part of the island. For our first stop, we visited the abandoned ghost town of Varosi, which has its roots from the Ottoman takeover. Cypriot survivors of the attacks on Famagusta were forced out and made to survive outside its walls, and so they built a new place called Varosi (meaning, literally, “settlement”). Our guide took us through the streets of old and ruined buildings, which have sat empty by UN mandate since the Turkish invaded Cyprus in 1974 and took the north. As we learned it, the area was once a popular tourist city, known for its amazing hotels and golden beaches, so it was developed specifically for this purpose between the 1960s to the early 1970s. Unfortunately, this could not last long because the Greek and Turkish Cypriots began fighting each other (mostly due to extremists on both sides, as the majority of people were happy living together peacefully) and then Turkey used the violence as a reason to invade the island for the purpose of protecting its people. This resulted in the Turkish army kicking people out of their homes (including Turkish Cypriots as well, as this also involved the army dragging them from their homes in the south and forcefully relocating them to the military regime set up in the north), looting Cypriot property and selling the belongings back in Turkey, and redistributing the land to give to Turkish people who then illegally began occupying the area. Ever since the fighting de-escalated with help from the UN, there has been an official border drawn to separate the territory from Southern Cyprus, and crossing over has become a sensitive matter that requires following the rules of the Turkish army (such as not taking photos of restricted areas, having an escort the entire time we were in the territory, and not attempting to convince the inhabitants of anything against the military regime). For this reason, not many pictures were permitted while over there, but I managed to capture the destroyed buildings in an area where photos were allowed, and seeing it was really powerful.

After Varosi, we entered the old walled city of Famagusta, which was originally built in medieval times to replace a then long-standing Greek city-kingdom started after the Trojan War. Our guide told us much about the history of the city, including the fact that it endured 11 months under siege before the Ottoman Empire finally gained control. The defenses included the wall itself, the battlements on top, many cannons that were once used to attack, and the moat that once surrounded the walls as well. The port there (now used by the Turkish army only) was once the biggest on the island (that is now Limassol Port, built after this one was lost) and part of what made Famagusta so large and important (the second largest city at the time of the invasion) as a center of merchants and trade. We unfortunately didn’t get to see such a port today, but inside the walls of the city, all kinds of other pieces of the past waited for us to learn about. In the ruins I got to see a mosque (which was originally built by the Lusignans as a cathedral in the French Gothic style before it was eventually converted), Othello Castle (Shakespeare took his inspiration for the story from Cyprus), the Tomb of Venus (where an ancient sarcophagus sits, but was later used by the Crusaders who had no idea of its true purpose to water their horses), and a prison (which the Ottomans used to imprison exiles), alongside a Venetian palace. Interestingly, around these parts of ancient history the area was also full of modern shops and restaurants, as people truly revitalized the old site and made it somewhere comfortable to go.

Finally, our day ended with a trip up to Protaras to have beach time at Fig Tree Bay! It was an even nicer beach than the one in Larnaca or even the ones on the water at Limassol. The sand was incredibly soft, there was no rocks, and the water was super clear and blue. I had time to swim (which I enjoyed despite the wind) and relax in the sun, which was a welcome break from the lessons of the morning. It was definitely a fun time spending it with the rest of the group, and more lighthearted than the history we learned earlier.

Overall, today I learned so much about the effect on the invasion on Cyprus. We had learned briefly about the invasion before coming abroad and the fact that the country is locked in a standstill that still splits the island, but actually witnessing a part of what that is like truly drove it home how difficult this was on Cypriots, both Greek and Turkish. Before I knew anything about the conflict, it was easy to think that the Greek Cypriots hated the Turkish because they invaded their land and turned their world upside down, but that isn’t the case. Turkish Cypriots are just as much a part of the country as Greek Cypriots, and it was only those who turned to violence and the Turkish army itself that Greek Cypriots (and even some Turkish Cypriots who remember what happened and disliked being forced north as well) disliked. But it was especially surprising for me to learn that the UN intends to give Varosi over to the Turkish (it has been held as officially mandated to be abandoned by all sides since the invasion) rather than simply keeping it as is or giving it back to Southern Cyprus. As I came to understand from the guide’s lesson, the city has been a part of long negotiations between the sides as Southern Cyprus tried to get the land back for its original occupants while the Turkish army wanted to use it to give homes to Turkish people in the north. Now, it is going to be given to Turkey (which the UN favors in this decision mostly because Turkey is a part of NATO) and the Turkish army will offer to give it back to Southern Cyprus in exchange for agreement to be recognized by the Cyprus government as an independent state (they declared independence years ago, but no one except Turkey recognizes them as legitimate). After 50 years of occupation, younger Turkish Cypriots have been brought up to believe that the division is a good thing, when all the Cypriots of the past wanted was to remain together as thriving, accepting mixed communities. But worst of all, after 50 years of occupation, younger Turkish Cypriots have been brought up to believe that the division is a good thing, when all the Cypriots of the past wanted was to remain together as thriving, accepting mixed communities. All of this is incredibly complicated to begin with, with so many civilians caught in the middle of the tensions, but it was truly saddening to know the extent of this issue as well as its impacts. Hopefully, our journey to the capital in Nicosia (which is divided down the middle by the border) will be a little more positive, but learning this important part of history was very valuable and I’m thankful to our guides for sharing all of their knowledge.