 | Nicosia Things To Do | Tips 21 - 30 of 134 |  |
Popular Things To Do | Other Things To Do Tips | All Tips (134) The Famagusta Gate is built into the side of one of the bastions of the Nicosia Walls. It is by far the best of the three remaining gates, both in original design and in its preservation.
The gate is basically a tunnel through the walls and has a wooden gate for an entrance. These days the gate has been renovated and is used as an art gallery and concert venue (although I have to admit the art I saw inside was a little basic...)
Be careful when you visit and step back to take a picture - there's a huge topless sunbather who I just couldn't quite get out of the frame... Leave a Comment Address: Nicosia on the South Side
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The Pancyprian Gymnasium is considered to be one of the better schools in the South. It was here that Lawrence Durrell (brother of the more famous Gerald Durrell) taught for quite a few years prior and during to the Greek struggle for independence in the 1950s.
Many of the students taught by Lawrence Durrell were very pro-EOKA and were directly involved with the conflict. Even though Durrell was British, he appears to have been virtually immune to EOKAs violence, mostly because he lived a very independent life in a small village away from other Brits and was considered pretty neutral - or so he claims in his book 'Bitter Lemons' which is well worth a read if you want to find out more about the EOKA period. Leave a Comment Directions: Near the Archbishops Palace
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When you are in the South of Nicosia on the Greek side, if you look over towards the North, you see a range of mountains in the background.
It doesn't take too long to spot two enormous flags painted on the side of these mountains. One is Turkish, and the other is Turkish Cyprus. Being so prominently visible in the South, I can't think of any other reason to paint them there than for the 'benefit' of their southern neighbours. They are huge, and must have taken a lot of effort to paint. Leave a Comment
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Kyrenia Gate is in the Northern half of the city. Whilst the gate is reasonably well preserved in itself, it does not compare with Famagusta Gate for a couple of reasons. Firstly the design is far less elaborate, and it has been compared with a sentry box or pill box (a pill box is a half buried concrete hut with slots for guns to shoot out of). Secondly the walls that used to go right up to ir have been removed on either side to allow cars to pass through (this was done in 1931).
This unfortunately gives Kyrenia Gate the feeling of being little more than a glorified roundabout. To my knowledge it is not open to visitors, and I doubt there would be much to see inside if it were... Leave a Comment Address: Cemal Gursel Caddesi
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This picture shows Inonu Meydani and Kyrenia Gate the day after a large national celebration in the North. This picture was taken on the 30th August (a few years or so ago...) - and the flags and decorations were out for a Turkish National Day celebrating one of Ataturks victories in 1922 (thanks to VT Profsmiley for letting me know what the celebration was!)
Normally none of the flags or decorations are up. There are no prizes for guessing that the statue is of Kemal Ataturk! Just to the right hand side of the picture the Nicosia Walls can be seen. There is a flight of steps cut into them here allowing people to climb up to the top where there are a few cannons. There is then a barbed wire fence, behind which is the official residence of one Rauf Denktash - The President of the North.
Of the flags that can be seen, the flag that is mostly red is the flag of Turkey, the flags that appear to be almost an inverse of this but with an additional two red bars are the flags of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). Leave a Comment
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This building was built by the British whilst they were still controlling Cyprus. Even before I was told, the moment I saw this building I could see this was old Colonial British, as it is a very typical design. This building is in the North, and it is used as law courts and registrar offices these days (thanks to VT Profsmiley for confirming this for me, I had remembered it as the Post Office, but this is opposite!).
The South of Nicosia has typically been richer and a lot of older buildings have been demolished for larger and newer building projects. The North of Cyprus on the other hand has not had as much money (being unrecognised as a state by all countries except Turkey). This does mean however that the North has many more quaint old buildings than the South, but with a proposed settlement looking more and more likely in Cyprus, this will probably change, so visit it quickly! Leave a Comment
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Eleftheria Plateia or Freedom Square as it translates from the Greek is a central square in the middle of the South part of Nicosia. English speakers normally call it Eleftheria Square.
It is a very common place for locals to meet up, and I have met up woth people many times under the clock that is on one side of the square, or on the row of seats directly facing the clock.
There is nothing particularly stunning about the square other than its location. It is right next to Ledra Street and Laiki Yitona (the Popular District) which is the old part of Nicosia within the walls and reasonably pedestrianised these days.
It is a very hard thing to photograph as it does not fir film format very well. This picture shows it from the start of Ledra Street (most people will approach from the other end). The Kiosks are on the right hand side as you look at the picture. Leave a Comment
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This is the same statue of Archbishop Makarios that can be seen outside if the Archbishops Palace.
Archbishop Makarios III, was born Michael Mouskos in 1913. At first he was a shepherd before becoming a trainee priest at Kykko Monastery in the Troodos Mountains (in Cyprus).
When he became a bishop, he took on the name Makarios (a popular surname with Greek Cypriots) meaning 'blessed'.
In 1952, Makarios was involved in setting up EOKA - an organisation whose goal was 'Enosis' - which meant uniting Cyprus with Greece. This obviously didn't go down too well with non-Greeks on the island, including the British who were controlling the island at the time. As the struggle got more violent, Makarios was deported to the Seychelles.
In 1959, Makarios accepted the British offer of Independence for Cyprus and returned to the Island (This despite his earlier goal of union with Greece).
Trouble flared up between the Greek and Turkish communities, and in mid 1974 - after an attempt was made on Makarios' life, Turkey invaded Cyprus and annexed the North part of the Island resulting in many people becoming refugees in their own country. Even today, the North is not recognised as a state by any country other than Turkey although the UN, EU and countless others have tried to find resolutions to the problem.
Makarios died in 1977 of a heart attack and was buried on top of Throni Hill in the Troodos Mountains. During his funeral there was heavy rain. The Greeks saw this as a sign of God crying. The Turks saw it as a sign that his sins were being washed away. Leave a Comment
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Here you can see the same part of the Green line, but this time from the North. The wall here is much more ramshackle and it is purely functional here rather than decorated. It is possible to see bomb damaged buildings in the UN patrolled buffer zone, and behind them, the Greek and Republic of Cyprus flags flying on the South side.
It is typically a very quiet area round the wall here on the North side and there do not tend to be many people about. Leave a Comment
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See my Ayia Sophia page for more details. Ayia Sophia (meaning Saint Sophia) is an old cathedral in the Turkish part of Nicosia. These days the cathedral is now a mosque called Selimiye Camii.
The picture shows the inside of Ayia Sophia as it was in the very early 1990's which was the first time I went there. The colourful walls depicting people have been whitewashed to make it more in line with how the internals of a mosque should be. The picture also shows the flag for the Turkish part of Cyprus, which is virtually an inverse of the Turkish flag, plus two red horizontal bars. Unlike a church, there are no seats or benches - just empty floor space, which makes mosques feel more spacious. Leave a Comment Address: Can't miss the minarets!Directions: In Nicosia (Turkish side), look for the minarets and you can't miss it!
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- Holiday Inn NICOSIA CITY CENTRE
70 Regeana Street, Nicosia, Cyprus - Park Nicosia Hilton
Griva Dighenis Avenue, Nicosia, Cyprus - Hilton Park Nicosia
Griva Dighenis Avenue, Nicosia, Cyprus - Cyprus Hilton
Archbishop Makarios III Avenue, Nicosia, Cyprus - Cyprus Hilton (Archbshop Makarios Iii Nicosia Cyprus Cy 1077)
Archbishop Makarios III Avenue, Nicosia, Cyprus - Cleopatra Hotel (8 Florida Street.)
8 Florina Street, Nicosia, Cyprus - Hilton
Archbishop Makarios III Avenue, Nicosia, Cyprus - Castelli
38 Ouzounian St, Nicosia, Cyprus - Cleopatra Hotel (8 Florina Street.)
8 Florina Street, Nicosia, Cyprus - Hilton Park Nicosia (Griva Dighenis Avenue.)
Griva Dighenis Avenue, Nicosia, Cyprus
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on December 18, 2004
