On our way to Famagusta, Georgia, our guide, discussed the history of the conflict with Turkey that led to the division of Cyprus. This conflict began when Cyprus was fighting for independence from Great Britain. Prior to this, the Turkish and Greek Cypriots lived in peace. After WWII, during negotiations, Cypriots fought for independence from Britain and unification with Greece. Britain, of course, did not want to lose this strategic location in the Mediterranean. In the ensuing conflict, British forces employed the Turkish Cypriots on the island, forcing the first conflict between the two peoples inhabiting Cyprus. This conflict continued when Cyprus was finally given independence in 1959, on the condition that they do not unify in Greece. In their newly made constitution, Turkish Cypriots were given 30% representation in the government, including the position of vice president. Greek Cypriots argued that this was overrepresentation since they only made up about 18% of the population. In 1967, the president set out to change the constitution to reduce this power, which led to the uprisings and invasion that would eventually divide the island. The spots for Turkish representatives in the House still remain vacant to this day.

When we arrived in the old city of Famagusta one of the first things I noticed was the architecture. I particularly liked the Gothic style church in the town center, that was converted to a mosque during the Ottoman era, with the beautiful flower-shaped windows and arches. The different architectural styles around the city I thought reflected the different eras of conquest in an interesting way and the city served as a good way to symbolize Cypriot history, including the Turkish invasions. One such way this was symbolized was by minaret added to the church in its conversion to a mosque. Arriving in Varosi felt surreal. Georgia described it as “entering a time capsule” and I think it is one of the best ways to describe this city. Seeing all the broken buildings and devastation made me feel sad that a flourishing city was just destroyed, raided, and abandoned in such a way. One detail I noticed was that many of the shops still had their furniture and shelves still inside of them, showing how suddenly all the people fled when the bombing and raids began. I thought it was interesting seeing how nature had taken over the city streets and buildings. While we were able to walk over the freshly paved areas, seeing the old streets have grass growing through the cracks was both eerie and beautiful at the same time. It gives an interesting view into what would happen if humanity just disappeared, however it is unfortunate that such a traumatic event gave us this glimpse.