Mathaba.Net, Africa
Dec 13 2004

Nicosia: The Smiling Face of the Renovated Past

From: Dabrowska

Nicosia’s old town has the smiling face of the renovated past. The
tourist information centre was once the watch tower at Edirne Gate
(now Kyrenia Gate) of the Venetian Wall which surrounded the city. A
quaint room in the watch tower with nostalgic photographs from days
gone by was the home of the watchman, Horoz Ali, who passed away aged
146. The British demolished sections of the wall during the colonial
period but much still remains.

Nicosia (Lefkosa in Turkish) was once the ancient kingdom of Ledra.
Lefkosa flourished when it became the capital of the Lusignans. The
old town was surrounded by a star shaped wall of about three miles in
circumference, which was further fortified by the Venetians in 1567
and flanked by eleven bastions. The British brought the eucalyptus
trees to help with drainage. They also bequeathed three pin plugs to
the island so visitors from the UK can use their electrical
appliances without an adaptor.

The small old town is rich in heritage. It is very `user-friendly’
and is best explored on foot. Many of the historic, architectural
treasures were damaged during the inter communal fighting which led
to the separation of the island into Greek and Turkish zones in 1974.
Today it is the world’s only divided city but the Turkish-Cypriot
border police are only too happy to let tourists photograph the check
point – as long as their cameras are pointed at the sign welcoming
them to the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus (TRNC).

A medley of Christian and Muslim cathedrals turned into mosques,
Greek foundations topped by Turkish roofs, churches reworked as
public baths and archbishops’ palaces reincarnated as municipal
offices, make Lefkosa memorable.

Among the most impressive restorations is the Great Inn (Buyuk Han)
whose construction was ordered by the first Ottoman governor of
Cyprus, Muzaffer Pasha, in 1572. Its architecture resembles many
other inns from this period in Anatolia. Around the inner courtyard
and store inn are 68 rooms and a number of unique arts and craft
shops rich in local paintings, ceramics and embroidery. After years
of restoration the inn was opened to visitors in 2002. It is a
spacious, pleasant place to relax over a cup of coffee and
traditional, super-sweet Turkish cakes and desserts. Live music fills
the inner courtyard with soft melodies on Tuesday and Thursday
nights.

Near the Great Inn, stands the Selimiye Mosque which started life as
St Sophia Cathedral, the most important example of gothic
architecture in Cyprus. It was built by the Louisianans between 1208
and 1326. The monumental main door and the carved stone window above
it are spectacular works of gothic art. After the Ottoman conquest of
Nicosia in 1570, a minaret was added to the cathedral and thus it was
transformed into the Hagia Sophia Mosque, which was renamed Selimiye
Mosque in 1954. Nearby is the covered bazaar with everything from
designer jeans to fresh produce and souvenirs, both tasteful and
cheap and gaudy.

Two other notable restorations are the mansion of Dervish Pahsa and
the Lusignan House near the Ministry of Tourism, a historical
building in its own right. The 19th century Dervish Pasha Mansion
belonged to the publisher of the first Turkish newspaper Zaman in
Cyprus. It has been transformed into an enchanting ethnography museum
with life size models of men and women in ethnic costumes and a
collection of everyday items, including colourful costumes and lamps
with intricate designs in bright colours.

The mansion is part of the conservation project of the historic Arab
quarter on the western edge of Lefkosa’s walled city which was
falling into disrepair. Following hostilities between Greek and
Turkish Cypriots in 1963-73 and the island’s subsequent division in
1974 the area witnessed an influx of Turkish-Cypriot refugees who had
been forced out of their villages. After 1974 however, many of the
settlers had the means to return to their former homes, leaving only
the elderly and the very poor.

In order to address the severe deterioration of the quarter, the Arab
Ahmet conservation project was instigated with the help of the UN.
The focus of the project, which is aimed at both the historic quarter
and the contemporary city of Lefkosa, is primarily economic. Balanced
development has, with the backing of the whole community, allowed the
area to benefit from widespread regeneration and, more importantly,
to attract an inward flow of investment. A large park is being
developed, local artists work in the area and the 21st century with
an internet café blends effortlessly into a street with old, restored
houses.

Restoration at its best can be seen in the Lusignan House, a 15th
century mansion with its Gothic-arch entrance door and coat-of-arms
as well as the Ottoman era addition of a kiosk and decorated wooden
ceilings. In 1958 the mansion, which was used by the Russian Classen
family as a residence and weaving workshop, was bequeathed to the
government. During the early 1980s it was used by refugees and after
two years of arduous restoration by the Antiquities and Museums
Department was opened to the public in 1997. It is filled with
authentic furniture from the Lusignan and Ottoman periods.

The place for lunch, or dinner, is certainly Boghjalian Konak
Restaurant in what used to be the Armenian Quarter of the Arab Ahmet
area. Once owned by the Armenians who left the area, the
Turkish-Cypriot owner Sevil-Zihni Turksel is proud he now manages one
of the top ten restaurants on the island. Generous hot and cold
starters precede a main course fit for a pasha and a selection of
sweets and fruits. Cheaper restaurants line the road from the tourist
information centre to the Saray Hotel, one of the only two hotels in
the old city. It is also a street for gold jewelry and Rustem’s
Bookshop, the largest and best-stocked in North Cyprus.

After the immersion in Turkish – Gothic architecture a soak in a
Turkish bath may be welcome. It is possible at the Grand Baths (Buyuk
Hammam) whose entrance has sunk well below pavement level, the level
of the street in the 14th century. The elaborate entrance portal
carved in stone is now all that survives of the Church of St George
of the Latins, the original incarnation of this building before the
Ottomans converted it into a Turkish bath.

The old city, like the rest of the island, is friendly and relaxed.
Visitors are made welcome and it is easy to think of North Cyprus as
a home away from home, a small slice of paradise neglected and
isolated by the international community due to the embargo which
prohibits direct flights.

But as the renovations of historic buildings and sites continues and
more hotels and restaurants are built, Mehmet Basel, the Director of
the Tourism Promotion and Marketing Department at the Ministry of
Economy and Tourism is convinced that tourist numbers will rise from
240,000 in 2003 to 600,000 in the next five years and one million in
2020. `Why not?’ he asks answering his own question. `South Cyprus
has 2.6 million visitors a year’.

Mevlevi Tekke Museum, a monastery of the whirling dervishes, the
mystic order founded by Mevlana a Persian/Turkish poet of the 13th
century, is in the road which leads to the heart of the old city.

The people of North Cyprus seem to have taken the order’s code of
conduct to heart:

Be like a river when it comes to generosity and help,
Be like the sun when it comes to affection and mercy,
Be like a night in covering up the faults of others,
Be like a dead body when it comes to fury and nervousness,
Be like the earth when it comes to humility and humbleness,
Be like a sea when it comes to tolerance,
Either appear as you are or be as you appear.

Getting there: The cheapest and most direct flights (with a 40 minute
re-fuelling stop in Turkey) are offered by Cyprus Turkish Airlines
which fly every day from most European capitals. The embargo on
direct flights may be lifted this year.

Where to stay: The elegant 72 room Saray Hotel in the old city is
Lefkosa’s best. It has a roof top restaurant with magnificent views.
Ataturk Meydani (Square) Nicosia. 00-90-392-2283115)

Who to contact: IAH Ltd () a London-based
company which specializes in tours of Turkey and North Cyprus.