N is
for Nicosia
Even
four years later, I can still picture the white spring blossoms that decorated
the worn cobblestone streets and smell the fragrant citrus trees we passed when we
visited Nicosia in North Cyprus.
Nicosia
(Lefkoşa in Turkish) is one of
the few world’s divided cities with half of it belonging in Greek-ruled Cyprus
and the northern half governed by the Turkish Municipality. You must pass
through a passport checkpoint to cross from one side to the other. Cyprus has acomplicated history. It was part of
the British Empire as a military occupation from 1914-1925, and a Crown
colony from 1925-1960. Cyprus became an independent nation in 1960, but
then were arguments between the Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots resulting
in the current divided country.
Even
before the most recent turmoil, Cyprus’ history is embedded in complications.
The country became a Roman province in 58 BC, was ruled jointly by both
the Arabs and the Byzantines, became a target of the Christian crusades in the
12th century and was dominated by the Genoese merchants in the 14th century until
the Ottoman siege and takeover in the 1500s.
Because
of the island’s complex history, you’ll find remains of different architectures
such as the Gothic Cathedral of Saint
Sophia which became the Selimiye
Mosque in 1570 when the Ottomans conquered the land. During the
50-day Ottoman siege of Nicosia, the cathedral provided refuge for a
great number of people.
Thanks
to our lovely Turkish-Cypriot friends we were able to explore and learn more
about the divided city of Nicosia. I’d love to return someday and see more of
the island!
I’m
linking this post to the monthly travel guide link up organized by Fiona, a
fellow Australian blogger, at Tiffin Bite Sized
Food Adventures.
Each month features a new letter of the alphabet. July is the letter “N.”
Please pop on over to Fiona’s blog to read more travel stories or feel free to
link up your own!
