Ghost Town

Ghost Town

[ Apr.2015 ] There is a ghost town in Famagusta in northern Cyprus, not in the old town withing the wall, but outside of it.

Before the Turkish invasion in 1974, nearly 40,000 Greek Cypriots were living here, but they ran away with nothing but the clothes on their backs just before the Turks arrived.

When they arrived, nobody was here.

In the past, this was a big resort area with 33 hotels facing the sea, but now, it is under the control of the UN Security Forces, surrounded by barbed wire.

There are about 860 members of UN personnel permanently stationed in Cyprus.

They are mainly from Argentina, Australia and Slovakia.

By the way, since the 16th century when Ottoman Turkey started to rule over Cyprus, only Muslims have been living inside the walls in Famagusta.

The Christians were not even allowed to enter the wall.