Culture / Cyprus

Nicosia, The Divided City

Everywhere I turned, I bumped into a wall.

Crude concrete creations blocking sidewalks. Barbed wire atop gray monoliths. That ubiquitous sign: Forbidden Zone. Do Not Enter.

The Berlin Wall fell in 1989, but the walls are still alive and well in Nicosia, Cyprus.

The Wall in Nicosia

Nicosia is a divided capital, split in two by a peacekeeper’s Green Line. The 1974 War left Nicosia rent in two, impassible for years. It’s the only divided EU capital; its defunct international airport lies broken and abandoned inside the buffer zone– the time capsule ’70’s terminal reclaimed by nature, the last plane rusting quietly on the runway.

This is Nicosia.

Crumbling Nicosia

The intrigue of a split city was one of the reasons I came to North Cyprus, but I wasn’t expecting to be so completely enthralled by Nicosia. The city is full of mysteries, of stories untold, of old wounds and new joys, of denial and defiance. I spent hours wandering the dusty streets.

Streets of Nicosia

The history of Nicosia is selective on the North Cyprus side of the city. A giant mosque was once a church– this is obvious, inside and out, yet there is no marker about its evolution. A walking map of the old city of Nicosia indicated a circular route that is impossible to complete.

The wall does not appear on the map.

In this reality, Nicosia is not divided.

And yet, I kept running up against that wall.

Broken-Down Nicosia

I found myself daydreaming. The rundown old buildings, the bits of graffiti, the historical ruins: what were the real stories here? Who lived here once, before the city was divided? What happens when your street is blocked off by a wall?

Rusty Car in Nicosia

An old market proudly proclaims that once, Greeks and Armenians and Turks mingled and traded here. There is no mention of why this is no longer true.

Military personnel mix with tourists. Dogs bark in front of abandoned buildings with Greek inscriptions over the door. These houses belonged to someone once; legally, perhaps, they still do. What stories are hiding in this riddle of a city?

Old Abandoned Building in Nicosia

Greek Writing in Nicosia

This is why I loved Nicosia. This is a city of layers, of mysteries, of conundrums; there is a fresh and present disruption to the natural flow of the capital. I wanted to speak to the streets, to the empty buildings, to the rundown storefronts: who were you, before a wall ran through your heart? 

3 Comments

  • Azim Dawood
    January 17, 2014 at 9:22 AM

    We know walls have ears… if only they could talk, too. What a fascinating experience!

    Reply
  • Katie
    January 17, 2014 at 4:11 PM

    This is fascinating. I went to Cyprus when I was very, very young – too young to remember much, really. But I don’t think we ever visited Nicosia. From your photos, it seems to have a sort of faded, derelict beauty. And I can see from your photos what you mean about a city with secrets.

    Glad you had an amazing time there!

    http://www.secondhandhedgehog.com

    Reply
    • Katrinka
      January 20, 2014 at 9:03 PM

      Thank you! Everything I read about Nicosia before I went there made it sound rundown and unimpressive, but it was by far my favorite part of my North Cyprus trip. It’s exactly as you say– faded, derelict beauty, full of secrets. I was smitten.

      Reply

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