Varosi

Yassas! Our first stop of the day was the town of Varoshi in TRNC. To enter that part of the island you must show a passport since they are recognized as independent. Getting to see the EU buffer zone was an interesting experience. I have never been to an area like that before and I will remember it. As we were driving through the Turkish side to Varosi, I noticed some of the architecture of the buildings looked different than the buildings in the southern parts of Cyprus like Limassol and Larnaca. I thought this was very interesting, since it’s all one island how can the architecture differ that much? The town of Varosi is also called the “ghost town”, because it is an abandoned city, and is no larger than 100 square km. The town was invaded by the Turks in 1974, and everyone was forced to leave their homes and flee. In 1984 United Nations security council had passed a resolution to allow the management of Famagusta by the UN so as to allow the displaced to resettle there. However, Turkey never allowed for this to happen and to this day, are still trying to gain control themselves. After learning the history of this town, hearing our tour guide share her experience during the time, and seeing it in person was almost a surreal experience. Seeing the ruined buildings, old signs, and knowing that it was once a thriving place with tons of livelihood really put the Turkish invasion into perspective for me. I now understand that the 1974 invasion wasn’t just a part of history, it is still an ongoing tragedy that Cypriots are still dealing with today. I am looking forward to sharing the history and my experience here with my friends and family when I return home!

Famagusta

Next, we made our way to Famagusta “the walled city”. Amorosas means “hidden sand” in Greek, which is where the city name of Famagusta originated from. It was developed in the medieval times and had the main port that was used during both the Ottoman and British period. St. Nicolas’s cathedral was built by the French rule from 13-15 century BC. Within the city is also the sarcophagus of Venus. Even though we did pre departure research on the walled City and got lectured about the history by our tour guide, I did not expect for the city to look the way it did. I assumed that within the city it would have ruins similar to that of Varosi, however inside the medieval walls was a lively and bustling little town. There were shops, cafes, and restaurants, and most unique wild dogs! I had a great time feeling the history within the walls of the city and seeing the mosque of St. Nicolas was breathtaking!