Cyprus Forteana?
- Thread starter sjwk0
- Start date
- Joined
- Sep 17, 2001
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Well, not strictly fortean, I suppose, but while reading about some (vaguely) Olympics related stuff came across this weird/sad place, abandoned for thirty years now:
Ghost town constant reminder of divided Cyprus' woes
27.04.2004
By DANIEL HOWDEN
CYPRUS - Hanging from the rusted wire fence is a red notice that reads: Forbidden Zone. No Entry.
Welcome to the resort of Varosha, once the thriving heartland of Cyprus's 1960s tourism boom, now a ghost town that provides an eerie reminder of the terrible cost of ethnic division.
Behind the barbed wire and barricades hundreds of deserted hotels and holiday homes are falling apart. Rotting wooden shutters swing in the wind as April showers rain through the soaked timbers of collapsed roofs.
This sprawling resort, shut off to the world by Army checkpoints and towering fences, would have been the first benefactor of an internationally brokered solution to the Cyprus problem. But after the failure of the weekend's referendum on the United Nations peace plan it remains as a symbol of a missed opportunity, testament to the unwillingness to compromise that has made this Mediterranean paradise Europe's longest-running conflict.
Varosha has been assailed by more than natural forces and the smashed concrete and twisted iron bars are testament to the violence that forced its residents to leave 30 years ago.
Then its Greek Cypriot population fled the oncoming Turkish tanks when intercommunal fighting swept the island after a failed coup aimed at union with Greece.
Five days after the Greek nationalists toppled the then Government of Archbishop Makarios in Nicosia the Turkish Army invaded and occupied one-third of the island, leading to de facto partition.
Turkish authorities decided against resettling the area and fenced it off to be used as a bargaining chip in negotiations with its former owners.
Evidence of their panicked departure is everywhere. Two vintage leather suitcases lie side by side behind the 3m fence, preserving their unknown contents behind rusted locks. Through derelict walls you can catch a glimpse of broken picture frames scattered on the floor.
"We left with just a shirt on," says Akis Savilis, a 62-year-old Greek Cypriot who owns one of the houses quietly collapsing inside the forbidden zone. "I want to go back."
Since the Turkish-controlled north was opened up to day-trippers last year, Savilis has been able to visit Famagusta and by pressing his nose up against the wire peer through the dereliction and see his former home.
Giant cactuses have overrun the elaborate porches of art nouveau houses and tall trees have grown through the ruptured floorboards of once grand reception rooms.
On the outskirts of the stunning medieval port town of Famagusta, Varosha is home to some of the sun-drenched island's most beautiful beaches. It was the first development to hint at the tourist riches that would later make the Greek-Cypriots the wealthy European Union entrants they are today.
A "yes" in the historic poll would have seen the fences torn down, international aid pour in and the redevelopment of Varosha begin. Instead, Greek-Cypriots defied intense international pressure and delivered a resounding rejection of the UN blueprint to reunite the island.
The result cancelled out the majority of Turkish Cypriots who endorsed the settlement to end their international isolation in a tiny enclave recognised only by their mother country, Turkey.
Now only the wealthier Greek south will enjoy the rights and benefits of the expanded EU, but they enter as virtual pariahs after their hardline stance.
Among the Turkish Cypriots living and working in modern day Famagusta, a nondescript, cement sprawl that has appeared since 1974, there is a clear desire to bring back the Greek residents and the money that comes with them.
At the Yildiz family restaurant the signs are in Greek as well as Turkish as they look to attract the day-trippers that cross the green dividing line to visit their former homes.
Sherer Sever, a Turkish Cypriot who flew back from his PhD studies in London to vote for a peace deal, said the time had come to reunite the island.
"I voted for a solution, things have got to change. The ghost town is crazy and needs to have something done about it," he said.
This sentiment is echoed by Yiannis Skordis, Famagusta's Greek Cypriot mayor in exile.
"We want a solution as soon as possible ... We have monuments and a town that needs saving. It has remained untouched for 30 years, if we leave it for another 10 to 20 years it might not be able to be saved," he warned.
But Skordis, like many refugees, refused to campaign for a "yes" vote. The rejectionists had no such qualms and led by hardline Greek Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos they preyed on fears of the Turkish military and suspicion of the international community to win an overwhelming 76 per cent vote against the settlement.
Such a rejection leaves the Annan plan, named after the UN Secretary-General, in tatters, according to regional analyst James Ker-Lindsay.
"The position taken by all outside observers is that the Annan plan was it - there is no other plan. This was a very balanced document. "There are vested interests at play in all of this. The north is relatively unspoiled and could learn from the mistakes in the south," he said.
Meanwhile, Varosha continues to be a hostage to fortune, its once fashionable hotels continue to play host to a clientele of rats and snakes, while a herd of sheep graze through a lobby.
The mayor of this ghost town is not confident that another, better solution is around the corner.
"I cannot assure that another one [solution] will exist," said Skordis.
"Nevertheless, we will not stop fighting for a solution ... What else can we do?"
-
© Copyright 2004, New Zealand Herald
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisp...news&thesubsection=world&thesecondsubsection=
BTW, sjwk, I know it's two years later, but how was your trip?
Ghost town constant reminder of divided Cyprus' woes
27.04.2004
By DANIEL HOWDEN
CYPRUS - Hanging from the rusted wire fence is a red notice that reads: Forbidden Zone. No Entry.
Welcome to the resort of Varosha, once the thriving heartland of Cyprus's 1960s tourism boom, now a ghost town that provides an eerie reminder of the terrible cost of ethnic division.
Behind the barbed wire and barricades hundreds of deserted hotels and holiday homes are falling apart. Rotting wooden shutters swing in the wind as April showers rain through the soaked timbers of collapsed roofs.
This sprawling resort, shut off to the world by Army checkpoints and towering fences, would have been the first benefactor of an internationally brokered solution to the Cyprus problem. But after the failure of the weekend's referendum on the United Nations peace plan it remains as a symbol of a missed opportunity, testament to the unwillingness to compromise that has made this Mediterranean paradise Europe's longest-running conflict.
Varosha has been assailed by more than natural forces and the smashed concrete and twisted iron bars are testament to the violence that forced its residents to leave 30 years ago.
Then its Greek Cypriot population fled the oncoming Turkish tanks when intercommunal fighting swept the island after a failed coup aimed at union with Greece.
Five days after the Greek nationalists toppled the then Government of Archbishop Makarios in Nicosia the Turkish Army invaded and occupied one-third of the island, leading to de facto partition.
Turkish authorities decided against resettling the area and fenced it off to be used as a bargaining chip in negotiations with its former owners.
Evidence of their panicked departure is everywhere. Two vintage leather suitcases lie side by side behind the 3m fence, preserving their unknown contents behind rusted locks. Through derelict walls you can catch a glimpse of broken picture frames scattered on the floor.
"We left with just a shirt on," says Akis Savilis, a 62-year-old Greek Cypriot who owns one of the houses quietly collapsing inside the forbidden zone. "I want to go back."
Since the Turkish-controlled north was opened up to day-trippers last year, Savilis has been able to visit Famagusta and by pressing his nose up against the wire peer through the dereliction and see his former home.
Giant cactuses have overrun the elaborate porches of art nouveau houses and tall trees have grown through the ruptured floorboards of once grand reception rooms.
On the outskirts of the stunning medieval port town of Famagusta, Varosha is home to some of the sun-drenched island's most beautiful beaches. It was the first development to hint at the tourist riches that would later make the Greek-Cypriots the wealthy European Union entrants they are today.
A "yes" in the historic poll would have seen the fences torn down, international aid pour in and the redevelopment of Varosha begin. Instead, Greek-Cypriots defied intense international pressure and delivered a resounding rejection of the UN blueprint to reunite the island.
The result cancelled out the majority of Turkish Cypriots who endorsed the settlement to end their international isolation in a tiny enclave recognised only by their mother country, Turkey.
Now only the wealthier Greek south will enjoy the rights and benefits of the expanded EU, but they enter as virtual pariahs after their hardline stance.
Among the Turkish Cypriots living and working in modern day Famagusta, a nondescript, cement sprawl that has appeared since 1974, there is a clear desire to bring back the Greek residents and the money that comes with them.
At the Yildiz family restaurant the signs are in Greek as well as Turkish as they look to attract the day-trippers that cross the green dividing line to visit their former homes.
Sherer Sever, a Turkish Cypriot who flew back from his PhD studies in London to vote for a peace deal, said the time had come to reunite the island.
"I voted for a solution, things have got to change. The ghost town is crazy and needs to have something done about it," he said.
This sentiment is echoed by Yiannis Skordis, Famagusta's Greek Cypriot mayor in exile.
"We want a solution as soon as possible ... We have monuments and a town that needs saving. It has remained untouched for 30 years, if we leave it for another 10 to 20 years it might not be able to be saved," he warned.
But Skordis, like many refugees, refused to campaign for a "yes" vote. The rejectionists had no such qualms and led by hardline Greek Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos they preyed on fears of the Turkish military and suspicion of the international community to win an overwhelming 76 per cent vote against the settlement.
Such a rejection leaves the Annan plan, named after the UN Secretary-General, in tatters, according to regional analyst James Ker-Lindsay.
"The position taken by all outside observers is that the Annan plan was it - there is no other plan. This was a very balanced document. "There are vested interests at play in all of this. The north is relatively unspoiled and could learn from the mistakes in the south," he said.
Meanwhile, Varosha continues to be a hostage to fortune, its once fashionable hotels continue to play host to a clientele of rats and snakes, while a herd of sheep graze through a lobby.
The mayor of this ghost town is not confident that another, better solution is around the corner.
"I cannot assure that another one [solution] will exist," said Skordis.
"Nevertheless, we will not stop fighting for a solution ... What else can we do?"
-
© Copyright 2004, New Zealand Herald
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisp...news&thesubsection=world&thesecondsubsection=
BTW, sjwk, I know it's two years later, but how was your trip?
- Joined
- Aug 18, 2002
- Messages
- 19,407
I was born there - thats got to be pretty weird 
There is plenty of archaeology around to see (habitation began in the Bronze age I believe) and there is Aphrodite's Rock to visit.
The Troodos Mountains are spectacular and it is a section of old sea floor so the geology is interesting and there are the remains of black smokers up in the hills (although they don't really look like black smokers any more)
There is plenty of archaeology around to see (habitation began in the Bronze age I believe) and there is Aphrodite's Rock to visit.
The Troodos Mountains are spectacular and it is a section of old sea floor so the geology is interesting and there are the remains of black smokers up in the hills (although they don't really look like black smokers any more)