Limassol was a fascinating port…due to Cyprus’ strategic position in the Aegean Sea, it has always been sought after and the site of numerous conflicts. It has been occupied by Greeks, Romans, Syrians, Turks, Egyptians, and the British. In 1956, Cyprus was granted independence from Britain, but because of unrest amongst the Greeks, Turks, and Cypriots, who occupied the island, it had UN peacekeepers until 1974. That year a Greek coup occurred and within a week, Turkey invaded. Due to this conflict, the northern part of the island is now governed by Turkey, while the Southern half is governed by Cyprus.

We drove from the port of Limassol to the capital of Nicosia. The drive was a mixture of architecture, talk of the Cyprus professional “football” team, and the fact that Cypriots (which is what Cyprus citizens are called) take their coffee seriously. We learned the island was first settled in 1200 BC. The name Cyprus comes from the Greek word Copper, which was a major export starting in 300BC. In Greek mythology, it is believed that Aphrodite was born on Cyprus. The Apostle Paul came to Cyprus in 45 AD and it became the first country to be governed by Christians. In 1925, Britain set-up infrastructure for utilities. Before 1974, agricultural was the main industry in the south, but 80% of the farmland was lost in the division, so now tourism is the main industry.

Nicosia has been the capitol of Cyprus since the 10th century and was originally known as Lefkosia.

We were dropped off on the outskirts of downtown where we had a short walk to an art studio.

The art studio, is a government funded project to promote art amongst children.

We stopped at Yiayia Victoria Café (translated Grandma Victoria) and watched the baker throw dough numerous times. By throwing the dough, a flaky pastry crust is produced.

We were served Cypriot hot chocolate and Mttouyatoa pasty. Both were absolutely luscious.

The cafe had a parrot that Jim tried to befriend/

Nicosia in the only divided capitol city in the world. The 500 foot military zone is the border and is considered a no man’s land. After the 1974 conflict, the entire island of Cyprus was divided. Anyone living in the military zone had to leave. This no man’s zone has not been occupied for almost 50 years. Turks living in the south were forced to move to the north and Cypriots living in the north were forced to move to the south. From 1974 to 2003, there was very limited interaction between the north and south of Cyprus.

To enter the north, or Turkish side of Cyprus, you must go through a checkpoint and show your passport. You are allowed to take pictures of the sculpture but not the Turkish checkpoint. It was interesting how the Cypriot sculpture just happens to be in front of the checkpoint….we were carfeful to take pictures.

The Turkish side uses the Lira and the Cyprus side uses the Euro. I wish we had more time, because there was a lot of good food on the Turkish side.

The Cathedral of Saint Sophia was completed in 1326. It served as a Christian church until 1570, when Turkish Ottoman soldiers stormed the Cathedral. All the Christian symbols were destroyed, except for one cross on the tower, and the building was converted to a mosque. It is now known as Selimiye Mosque and is currently being renovated.

We were treated to a performance by one of the Turkish Whirling Dervish. The performer twirls on one foot in a dance that is a prayer. He wears a long white outfit that represents the clothes that Jesus was buried in. His hat represents the tomb where Jesus was buried.

The Turkish flag in what the Cypriot citizens call the “occupied area”.

In the Turkish area, we stopped at Buyuk Han which was built in 1571. The Ottoman influence can be seen in the pointed arches. It was the Ottoman city center of Nicosia. The ground floor were stables and the second floor was the Inn and market shops.

The old city walls of Nicosia are 2.5 miles long with 3 gates. It was rebuilt in the 16th century by the Venetians.

The last part of our tour was a presentation given by Sammie (Turkish) and Gideotos (Cyprite). They are two journalist who are pro-unification. Due to their position, they face much resistance and even threats. It was a fascinating talk. They are best friends, but are not allowed to see each other except on rare occasions such as this “official” assignment. We wish we could have had more time to listen to their stories. The presentation really touched our hearts as their story could really be a made for TV movie.

The license plate of Cyprus, which is part of the European Union. Even though the country of Turkey is not part of the EU, the Turkish residents in northern Cyprus have EU privileges. Our guide Anita, did a fabulous job, in a very short period of time, to give us as much of a Cypriot experience as possible.

During the world-wide pandemic, the harbors of Southern Cyprus became anchorage for numerous cruise ships. As of October 2022, there were still 2 cruise ships anchored. waiting to be put back into service.

It was time to leave Limassol, it had been a full day of facts, stories, food, and history.

We spent the evening listening to some music and eating great food…