Culture and Sites part of the walled district of Famagusta North Cyprus..

Famagusta North Cyprus is located on the east coast. It lies between Cape Greco and Eloea, east of Nicosia Cyprus. Since the 1974 Turkish invasion it has resided in the Turkish Republic of Cyprus.

Since 1974, the town was completely evacuated by Greek Cypriots who fled before the bombings by the Turkish air-force. Unlike other parts of Northern Cyprus, the nearby town of Varosha was completely sealed off by the Turkish Army and remains in that same state to-day.

A quotation by a Swedish journalist in September 1977 sums up the scene (journalists are banned, as are taking photographs in the area):-

“The asphalt on the roads has cracked with the warm sun and along sidewalks bushes are growing. Today September, 1977 the breakfast tables are still set, the laundry still hanging and the lamps still burning, Famagusta is a ghost-town”….

Religion: Muslim (98%)

Main Ethnic Group: Turkish-Cypriots, Greek-Cypriots, Cypriot Romanies, Armenian Cypriots, Latin Cypriots

Museums: Namik Kernal Dungeon & Museum, Djanboulat’s Bastion & Museum, Agios Ioannis Church, St. Barnabas Monastery

Hotels: Bilfer Palm Beach Hotel, Mimoza Beach Hotel, Park Hotel, Portofino Hotel, Salamis Bay Conti Resort Hotel, The Dee European Hotel

Famagusta North Cyprus contains many ruined sites, including an amphitheatre, roman baths, a gymnasium and royal tombs. The mosaics in these cultural areas are magnificent.

Read about more historical and cultural sites in Nicosia Cyprus.

The founder of the Cypriot Greek Orthodox Church was St. Barnabas in 45 A.D. There is a monastery in his honor, with 18th Century icons and monastery cloisters. The church lies in its same state when it was abandoned in 1974.

Famagusta Harbor is another historical site with a great citadel called Othellos Tower. It contains a 14th Century Gothic Hall. Sports History

The town played host to the soccer team Anorthosis and Nea Salamina Famagusta. Both teams used the stadium of the town, the GSE Stadium, but after the abandonment of the cities, both teams moved to Larnaca Cyprus.

Coffee Houses

In all Cypriot villages you will find the coffee house, where men sit chat and play “tavla” (back-gammon). In the taverns in Famagusta North Cyprus you might also find men smoking a hubble-bubble pipes (nargile), although this has become a dying tradition.

Turkish Baths (Hamam)

Owing to the emphasis placed on cleanliness in the Turkish society. There are certain baths for men and women. Upon entering, one will leave their clothes in a cubicle, they will wrap themselves in a towel, will go the heated stone (gobek tashi) in the centre of the room, one will perspire and then be rubbed down by a bath attendant. If the heat is too much, there are cooler rooms to cool down. The Architecture in these old Hamam buildings is magnificent.

This is interesting lace work done meticulously by the ladies in Famagusta and North Cyprus, The Turkish Government want to preserve the traditions and have provided Co-Ops for each community. Lefkara Lace is used for bordering small tables or windows, or as dainty accessories in a room.

Other traditional pastimes include plaiting, hand-painted pottery, kilim weaving, sheep-skin creations, Mediterranean type village basketry, coffee pots, candle-stick creations, blue beads creations (a traditional Turkish talisman to keep away the evil eye)

Turkish Cypriot Folk-Dancing

Folk dances in Famagusta North Cyprus are an expression of feelings, thoughts and enjoyment of the people. The origin of folk-dancing is very old. There are dances such as the circle, semi-circle, one-lined and double lined. Few of these dances are for men and women, but most are mixed. They are named according to dance style, musicians, dancers, regions and themes. The names of some of the Turkish-Cypriot dances are “Karsilama”, "Kasikili Oyunlari", sword and shield dances, knife dance and glass dance.