Traveller's101

Nicosia: The Last Divided City In Europe

Known as Lefkosia to the residents of the city, Nicosia is the capital city of the island nation of Cyprus.  It the largest city on the island and is located along the Pedios River.  When you look at the city on a map, you’ll note that it’s located almost in the centre of the island.  As the capital, it is also the seat of government for both the Greek and Turkish communities that have split the island in half.  It is also the business centre of this country’s busiest district. 

The Green Line, an area that is controlled by the United Nations in an effort to keep peace on the island, divides Nicosia in half.  The population of the Greek Cypriot South is over 270,000.  The Turkish Cypriot North has a population of 84,893.  It is the most commercially important city in Cyprus with a trading centre that deals in textiles, leather, pottery, plastic, and more.  It is the home of the islands five universities, two shopping malls, restaurants and theatre district.  There is even a copper mine outside the city that is still producing the metal for sale and use, providing members of the city with steady employment.

The Division

During the violence of the 1960s and the subsequent failed coup to unite the country in 1974, Nicosia was split in half by the countries feuding residents.  The southern part of the citry belonged to the Greek Cypriots and the northern part to the Turkish Cypriots.  It has remained split by the Green Line for over thirty years but on April 3, 2008, the Green Line was opened at Ledra Street, uniting the two communities for the first times.  The citizens still want a unified country no matter what their governments seem to think.

A Brief History Of The City

Nicosia has been the capital of Cyprus since around the 10th century, built so far inland as to discourage Arab raiders from sacking it.  It has, however, been a recognized and documented city state since ancient times.  It was known as Ledra then and was rebuilt by Lefkos, the son of Ptolemy I around 300 BC, but for what reason remains unknown.  Knowing that earthquakes are Mediterranean occurrences, the city being destroyed by one is a distinct possibility. 

The city was the home of the kings of Cyprus since 1192.  It became a Venetian possession in 1489 – which many of the city’s architecture shows – and it fell to the Ottoman Empire in 1571.  When the city was overrun by Frankish Crusaders in the 15th and 16th centuries, the city bloomed into a cultural centre, seeing the building of palaces, mansions, monasteries, and churches.  As a matter of fact, the city’s current name came from the Crusaders inability to say ‘Lefkosia’. 

Nicosia has fallen prey to many problems since the siege of the Ottoman’s in 1570.  The attack itself resulted in the deaths of 20,000 people and more died in natural disaster after disaster throughout the 19th century.  An anti-Ottoman revolt was crushed in 1821, cholera swept through the city in 1835, and then fire razed the city in 1857.  In 1878 Nicosia fell under the control of the British, which remained that way until the 1960s and the reunification in 1974.

 

Nicosia

 

Getting Around in Nicosia

Nicosia is linked to the rest of the island by major motorways, such as the A1 which takes it to the south, and Limassol, the A2 that links it to Larnaca, and the currently under construction A9 that will allow travellers to go to point beyond the Troodos Mountains without having to travel out of their way.  The country has a public transportation system that is inexpensive, but rapidly aging.  There are plenty of taxi companies, however, and visitors to the island can rent a vehicle when they arrive at the Larnaca International Airport located on the southern coast. 

Nicosia used to be a major stop on the islands railway system, but it was closed in 1951 due to financial difficulties.  The Nicosia International Airport – once one of the major travel hubs on the island – was closed in 1974 when the United Nations set up the Green Line buffer zone as it was located within the area used.  While there are plans to help the aging public transportation bus system, there are no plans to modernize it any further, such as adding a metro system or reopening the railway. 

The Government

Since Nicosia is the capital of Cyprus, it’s the natural home of the government.  Each district of the island is broken up into municipalize and the area known as Greater Nicosia has seven.  The governmental seat is located in the municipality of Nicosia, which we know is separated by the Greeks and Turks.  According the constitution that governs the island nation, Nicosia has two Mayors, one that represents the Greek community, and one that represents the Turkish community.  They are elected officials and they hold their positions for five years.  The Mayors are supported by a twenty-six member council which includes a Deputy Mayor.