Nicosia (Lefkosia) - History

Lefkosia, the capital of Cyprus is better known to foreigners by its mediaeval name, Nicosia. It lies just to the north of the geographical centre of the island at an elevation of 160 metres and is being traversed by the seasonal stream of Pediaios. The city has a population of about 230.000, by far the biggest on the island. 195,000 live in the government-controlled southern quarter while the rest live in the Turkish-occupied northern quarter.

Lefkosia hosts the seat of government, the House of Representatives, the Supreme Court, the Archbishopric of the Greek Orthodox Church, government services and foreign embassies, high commissions and consulates. Lefkosia also has an International Airport about 8 km west of the city centre, which remains closed since the 1974 Turkish-invasion as it is lying in the UN-controlled "buffer zone".

Lefkosia has the unenviable legacy of being the last divided capital of Middle East, and indeed the world, following the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the reconciliation of feuding factions in Beirut in the early 1990s.

The thousand-year-old capital

The city's origins go back in history as the earliest human settlements found in the vicinity of the modern city date back to the 3rd millennium BC. The first inhabitants were attracted by what was then a rich river. Today's dried up stony river bed is a far cry of its former bygone glory.

It was only about 1000 years ago that Lefkosia (Nicosia) became the capital of Cyprus at a time when the island's rulers were forced to withdraw inland in order to protect themselves from the raiding Saracens, who were marauding the coastal towns. Ever since it has remained the capital sharing the country's fate through the centuries.

Around the time when Lefkosia became capital, Richard the Lionheart of England claimed Cyprus from the Byzantines on the way to the Holy Land. It was then sold to the Knights Templar and later sovereignty was transferred to the Lusignans. Under the reign of the Frankish dynasty Lefkosia remained the feudal capital with a cosmopolitan array of contemporary buildings, palaces and churches. Among them the Gothic cathedral of Saint Sophia , modelled on the Notre Dame of Paris, later transformed by the Ottomans into a mosque, remains to this day a prominent landmark in the walled city.

Towards the end of the 15th century the island passed on to the Venetians, who built the fortifications around the city. In the process they had to destroy several buildings. The circular walls are 4.5 km long, contain 11 bastions each bearing the name of an aristocratic family, together with three Gates: Pafos Gate on the SW edge of the walls now lying in the so-called green line dividing the city, Keryneia Gate to the NW in the Turkish-occupied quarter and Famagusta Gate to the S. in the government-control quarter. The latter has been renovated and serves as the capital's major cultural centre hosting art exhibitions, conferences, lectures, concerts and other cultural activities. The ditch running along the ramparts has been transformed into park space, parking lots, open markets and an open air theatre decorated with modern sculptures.

In 1570 the Ottoman Turks conquered Lefkosia after a bloody siege which was followed by extensive massacres and destruction. The period was marked by the public hanging of Archbishop Kyprianos, three Bishops and other priests and Greek Cypriot dignitaries, for their alleged support for the 1821 National Uprising in Greece and for inciting their people to rise against Ottoman rule.The Ottomans built a number of mosques in the city while they converted several Greek Orthodox or Roman Catholic churches into mosques. Economic and cultural activity were maintained at lower levels during Ottoman rule.

The British, who took over from the Ottomans in 1878 and remained on the island as colonial masters until 1960, also left their mark on the face of the city. Many of today's government buildings, including the Presidential Palace, many of the ministries, the Supreme Court, government buildings, police stations, the Archaeological Museum and schools date back to this period. Lefkosia started expanding rapidly after the end of WW II and its population reached 100,000 in the early 60s. It's suburbs expanded rapidly during that period (1946-1965) and joined up with the city proper. Later Kaimakli and Pallouriotissa were accommodated within the city limits, while Strovolos, Aglandjia, Agios Dometios and Engomi were upgraded to municipalities.

Following the Turkish invasion of 1974 the city expanded further in a southerly direction as a consequence of the influx of thousands of refugees from Turkish-occupied territory. Thus, Latsia, Lakatamia, Tseri and Geri, settlements to the south of the capital, also grew in population the first two being granted the status of municipality.

Since 1974 the de-facto partition of Lefkosia was completed. The Greek Cypriot suburbs to the north of the walled city - Trachonas, Omorphita and Neapolis - were captured by the Turks and their inhabitants also became refugees.