Cyprus - Nicosia
With the demolition of the Berlin wall Nicosia is now the only remaining divided capital city in the world.
Following the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974 a ceasefire was agreed and the island was effectively split in two, including the capital Nicosia.The northern, self-proclaimed, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is only recognised by Turkey, the rest of the world views it as occupied territory. Just to be provocative a massive "Republic Of North Cyprus" flag has been painted on the side of a mountain overlooking the city - is it coincidence the flag is the reverse of the Turkish flag?
The border of this territory is known as the Green Line and is policed by the United Nations. One effect of the occupation is difficulty in crossing from the main part of Cyprus to the Northern sector. Indeed, it wasn’t until 2003 that it was legally possible to cross the “border” between the two areas.
There are two pedestrian crossing points in Nicosia, the most popular one being the Ledra Street crossing in the Old City. However there are certain precautions you need to take when crossing the border. You need a visa to cross the border, however it is essential you get a papa visa and to ensure the paper visa is stamped when you cross. Do not allow the visa to be stamped in your passport, otherwise you could be denied entry into Cyprus in future. It should be noted that only EU citizens my cross the border.Formalities out of the way, what is there to see in Nicosia – well to be honest anything outside the old walled City is hardly worth visiting – it’s the atmospheric old city which has the appeal.
To be honest Nicosia has little of the history found elsewhere on the island, as such it isn’t exactly a tourist hotbed, which means it can be explored in relative comfort.
The old city is also a city of contrasts, especially between the two sides of the Green Line. The Cypriot side is a bustling area with many familiar shops, along with traditional Greek taverns and cafés and is compact enough to easily explore on foot, indeed much of the old city is pedestrianised.
One of the first places to head to in the Old City is, and don’t laugh, Debenhams department store on Ledra Street. It’s at the base of the 12 storey Shacolas Tower, the 11th storey of which is a viewing floor, offering stunning views of the Old City with guide boards to help you identify what you are looking at. Admission: €2There are numerous museums in the city and some that stand out include the Cyprus Museum, home to a large collection of Cypriot archaeological artefacts, the Byzantine Museum which is home to one of the best collection of Orthodox icons and artworks in the world. Whilst the National Struggle Museum offers a rather myopic view of the islands fight for independence from Britain.
As previously mentioned crossing into the north is a cultural shock and the contrast could not be more stark. The north is decidedly poorer, no big name shops and you are left with the feeling you’re likely to be ripped off at any time in many of the shops.
Having said that, there are some sites in the northern half of the old city worth visiting, most notably the Buyuk Han or Great Inn. Home to an old travellers inn, housing a small mosque dating back to the 1500’s. It has been sympathetically restored and the old inn rooms have been converted into craft shops.The Selimiye Mosque began life as St Sophia Cathedral. It was completed as a Cathedral in 1280 but was converted to a mosque in 1570, at which point two minarets were added. Ataturk Square is the place to go if you want to people watch.
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