Ghost Towns

01.03.26

Famagusta ghost town is called Varosha. During 1970-74, nearly 50% of Cypriot tourism was at this top class resort. A resident population of c.40,000. The 3rd largest Cypriot city. It attracted the likes of Bardot, Raquel and Burton/Taylor.

Different web sources give varying accounts Here’s my interpretation / summation …
From 1963 and the collapse of the power sharing government, many Turkish (18% of the population) were subjected to ethnic cleansing. Having to relocate to ghettos etc and economic hardship.

July 1974 saw a coup backed by the Greek junta (Generals time). 5 days later Turkey invaded. Reports of massacres of Greeks, including around Salantis, where we were 2 days ago.
The Turkish army planned to reach as far as Famagusta walled city, as many Turkish Cypriots lived there. When they arrived, Varosha just next door, had been abandoned. The Greek Cypriots had fled within a few hours. The residents had expected to be back within days so left virtually everything.

Despite the Turks erecting a fence around it and a NATO presence, who decreed that it can only be repopulated by the original property owners, it was ransacked and then everything removed. To be honest, I said to J, it has been sanitised. We have visited ghost towns before but there is usually evidence of people living there. Varousha doesn’t even have light bulb fittings.

There were boards outside some buildings and a display … the Turkish argument is that most of the land was part of a foundation going back hundreds of years. The land registry shows the land was sold? to Greek Cypriots during the British occupation. But foundation / charity land can not be sold. Turkish PM Erdogan and the TRNC want to reopen Varosha. They will run out of Coastal construction space soon! Visitors were first allowed into a very small area in 2000. Part of their development plan?

We had thought we would hire bikes, but it was precipitous so we pulled up our hoods and walked. Walked the relatively small area permitted. Enyry into buildings in a state of 50 year decay are verbotten. Guards very present to check we comply. A sad place, but strange with no evidence of human life.

*Boards declaring this site was illegally sold by the British, ergo still Turkish*

*The main attraction for the 1970s tourists. Varosha stretches as far as the eye can see*

*They were still building when is was evacuated*

*Businesses, homes and hotels all crumbling*

The top cluster of my pins is the walled city. The 3 orange pins are pretty much the limit of what is now open to visitors. The blue blob is the border control … the Nato Green Line is right at the edge of Varosha. All a bit surreal.

We drove parallel to the coast, along the fenced off city to the border and back into the Republic of Cyprus. Suddenly everything felt different. Better roads. Shops smarter.

The next Ghost Town was Agia Napa. We could not be so close and not have a look.
The Sculpture Park was not our cup of tea.