Photo essay: The not-so forbidden city, Varosha on the Cyprus Peninsula
I've spent many a holiday in Cyprus over the years, so it is still close to my heart what happens in the European Union's Middle Eastern outpost. For those who don't pay attention to world politics, Cyprus is in a perpetual split with seemingly no end to the division on the island. For centuries, the island has been inhabited by both Greek and Turkish-ethnic groups due to being conquered by both of the nation's former empires. This alongside the respective Orthodox and Islamic rivalries has caused tensions between both communities. In 1974, far-right Greek Cypriots pushed for union, or "enosis", with Greece and staged a coup which broke the agreement of a bi-communal state that catered to both ethnic groups. Subsequently, the Turkish military illegally took over the northern portion of the Cyprus peninsula in 1974 and subsequently led to the quasi-independent Turkish Cypriot state (Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus - TRNC) that is economically and politically dependent on Turkey. This is *extremely* over-simplified so please don't @ me to complain.
This brings me onto Varosha, a former playground for the rich and famous that is stuck in time after the 1974 conflict, and that is located just a couple of miles from the party town of Agia Napa. For decades, Varosha has been sealed off from humanity, guarded by Turkish and TRNC military, under UN agreement. Attempts have been made to reconcile the Greek and Turkish Cypriot sides in a unified or federal state system but these have had no success - and Varosha has continued to stand empty. That is until the past year when the both the TRNC leader and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced plans to partially reopen Varosha to international condemnation (read more: Guardian; Al Jazeera). I've had the pleasure of visiting the Famagusta region, in which Varosha sits, and thought now would be a perfect time to share some of those images of Varosha from the outside.
These photos were taken in 2016 but visiting the area truly shows the horrors of what both Greek and Turkish Cypriots went through at this time. Varoshans had to abandoned life as they knew it, with this immediacy seen through mattresses and everyday objects left on balconies. It is sad to see that the Turkish government are pressing ahead with reopening without dual consent from the Greek communities. Equally it is tragic that as time goes on, there is less and less incentive for both sides to unite to form a stronger Cypriot state for the benefit of all citizens on the peninsula.