Things to do in North Cyprus
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Museum of Barbarism
While the Turkish Cypriots may have taken down the gruesome posters and photographs that used to greet arrivals at the Ledra Palace Hotel crossing, they have not forgotten the atrocities committed by Greek Cypriots and in particular EOKA thugs against the Turkish Cypriot community. The Museum of Barbarism is in a quiet suburb to the west of the Old City and takes a bit of seeking out.
On 24 December 1963, a mother and her children, along with a neighbour, were shot dead in their bath by EOKA gunmen. The bloodstained bath is retained as one of the exhibits in this rather macabre museum. There are other photo-documentary displays, particularly of Turkish Cypriots murdered i…
reviewed
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Sabor
Right next to Selimiye Mosque, this is decidedly North Nicosia's trendiest restaurant. Stylish wooden tables inside are surrounded by leather sofas in the lounge area; colourful lamps swing low; fashion photos adorn the walls. The large terrace is on the square, and on Wednesdays and Fridays there is live jazz piano music.
Its excellent Italian and Spanish food is especially good for those days when you can't take another kebab, although there are oriental-style noodles too, and the prices are surprisingly low. The espresso and cappuccino are just right.
reviewed
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Ancient Soloi
Ancient Soloi is one of the ancient city kingdoms of Cyprus. Soloi traces its origin back to an Assyrian tribute list (700 BC) where the original city was referred to as Si-il-lu. In 580 BC, King Philokyprios moved his capital from Aepia to Si-il-lu on the advice of his mentor, the Athenian philosopher Solon. Philokyprios promptly renamed the citadel Soloi in honour of Solon.
In 498 BC, Soloi, along with most of the other city kingdoms of Cyprus (Amathous being the exception), rose up against the Persians but was ultimately defeated. It languished until Roman times, when it flourished once again, thanks to the rich copper mines nearby. As happened in other parts of Cyprus…
reviewed
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Selimiye Mosque
North Nicosia's most prominent landmark - also clearly visible from the southern half of the city - is the Selimiye Mosque. This strange-looking building, a cross between a French Gothic church and a mosque, has an interesting history. Work started on the church in 1209 and progressed slowly. Louis IX of France, on his way to the Crusades, stopped by in 1248 and gave the building process a much needed shot in the arm by offering the services of his retinue of artisans and builders.
However, the church took another 78 years to complete and was finally consecrated in 1326 as the Church of Agia Sofia. Up until 1570 the church suffered depredation at the hands of the Genoese …
reviewed
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Morfou (Güzelyurt)
The quiet and generally uneventful town of Morfou (Güzelyurt) )(known as Güzelyurt by Turkish Cypriots) was once the centre for Cyprus' lucrative citrus industry. Sunzest, the company owned by renegade and runaway Cypriot businessman, Asil Nadir, used to produce vast quantities of orange juice for the export market. The factory now languishes in receivership, and the potentially lucrative citrus industry has taken a severe downturn.
This is bittersweet news to the Greek Cypriots, who were particularly aggrieved when the citrus groves were lost to Turkish forces in 1974. Most were proudly owned by Greek Cypriots who, when meeting someone who has been to the North, invari…
reviewed
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Gemikonaği (Karavostasi)
Gemikonaği (Karavostasi) Citrus groves stretch westwards from Morfou, towards Morfou Bay. The thin strips of beach are not so great: there's no shade, the pebbles are uncomfortable, and it's all a bit narrow. But there aren't many people about and the sea is pretty calm. The villagers from the Troödos foothills in the South used to make the short trip to Morfou Bay to swim before 1974, but due to the border, they now have to trek over 100km away to Larnaka.
The once-flourishing port of Gemikonağı dominates the bay, and you will spot the long-abandoned and slowly disintegrating jetty before you actually catch sight of the port itself. The town was once home to a large Am…
reviewed
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Ancient Vouni
Viewed in the early morning or late afternoon, this rather surreal and 'what's-it-doing-here?' site is a bit of a mystery. The hilltop location of Ancient Vouni is simply superb, and is reached along a narrow road off the main highway. Look for the black-and-yellow Vouni Sarayı sign pointing north and up the hill. Go up to the car park and the ticket office at the very top.The site, which originally housed a palace or large complex of buildings, dates back to the 5th century BC.
The palace was built by the leaders of the pro-Persian city of Marion (today's Polis) following the failed revolt by the Ionian Greeks against the Persians. The details of this incident were desc…
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Bedesten
Another building being renovated as part of the 'Nicosia Master Plan', the ruined and usually locked Bedesten was originally a small Byzantine church built in the 6th century and augmented in the 14th century by the Catholic church. During the 82 years of Venetian rule it became the Church of the Orthodox Metropolitan. After the Ottomans took Lefkosia in 1570, the church was used as a grain store and as a general market, but was basically left to disintegrate.
Today you can peer through the fencing and still make out the layout of the original churches. Medieval tombstones from various parts of Cyprus are currently kept in a section of the Bedesten. The north doorway has …
reviewed
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Turkish Museum
The Turkish Museum is a former 17th-century tekke (monastery) of the mystic Islamic sect known as the Mevlevi Order, or more familiarly, the Whirling Dervishes. Their spiritual philosophy, started in the Turkish town Konya, is based on the mystical branch of Islam called Sufism. Among the displays of the Dervishes are interesting photographs of their dances in Nicosia in 1954.
The most fascinating part of the museum is the former kitchen of the tekke, the centre of the hierarchical order in which the Dervishes lived and moved from 'interns' to achieving Dervish status. Each new intern would have to prove himself worthy by taking on the role of a kitchen servant for severa…
reviewed
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Lefke (Lefka)
The turn-off is not well signposted, but nonetheless it's hard to miss. The village, which is an easy 10-minute drive along a fast, straight road, is bizarrely the home of a hardy bunch of British expats. The village derives its name from the Greek word lefka (meaning 'poplar').
There are seemingly more palm trees than poplars these days, and Lefke's position amid riotous greenery and rolling hills gives the place a pleasant, fresh feel. The years of Lefke's isolation on the country's western corner are almost over, with a new border crossing at Zodhia, which can be reached by the road going to Morfou. The vast hinterland of Tylliria and Pafos Forest, which is in reality …
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Büyük Han
The Büyük Han is a wonderful example of Ottoman architecture and a rare surviving example of a medieval caravanserai. In the Ottoman world during the Middle Ages, travellers and traders could find accommodation at these hans (inns), as well as a place to stable their horses, trade their goods and socialise with fellow travellers. The Büyük Han was built in 1572 by the first Ottoman governor of Cyprus, Musafer Pasha.
Renovated in the recent years, it has once again become the centre of the Old City's bustle, with cafés, shops and traditional craft workshops housed in the 67 small cells that originally served as the inn's sleeping area. The central courtyard has in its …
reviewed
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Büyük Hammam
In the process of being refurbished during research, is a world-famous Turkish bath normally frequented by locals and tourists, both male and female. Stories of improper conduct on the part of the male-only masseurs made the news when two American tourists were allegedly molested in 2005, and soon after the hammam was closed for renovation.
The refurbishment makes many hope that this bath will follow in the steps of the Omeriye Hammam in Lefkosia, which would make it a safer and more appealing option.
The entrance is via an ornate low door, sunk six feet below street level. The door was originally part of the 14th-century Church of St George of the Latins. Inside you are …
reviewed
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Dervish Pasha Museum
The small Dervish Pasha Museum is housed in a 19th-century mansion. Built in 1807, it belonged to a wealthy Turkish Cypriot, Derviş Paşa, who published Cyprus' first Turkish-language newspaper. The house was turned into an ethnographic museum in 1988. Household goods, including an old loom, glassware and ceramics, are displayed in former servants' quarters on the ground floor.
Upstairs is a rich display of embroidered Turkish costumes and, in the far corner, a sumptuous selamlık (a retiring room for the owner of the mansion and his guests), replete with sofas and nargileh (Middle Eastern water pipes), and even some guests, in the form of eerie mannequins dressed up in …
reviewed
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Agios Mamas
By the large roundabout in the town centre of Morfou (Güzelyurt), you'll see the Orthodox church of Cyprus' most beloved saint, the tax-collector-repelling Agios Mamas, which was once the site of a pagan temple. The faithful used to visit this place before 1974 to see the ancient marble tomb of the patron saint, said to have oozed a mysterious liquid when pierced by the Ottomans who were looking for treasure.
The liquid, which was supposed to have curing effects on earaches, flowed freely at irregular intervals; this is why ear-shaped offerings surround the tomb. The church, which is normally closed, vies for attention with a splendid-looking new mosque that has been bui…
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Moniat Macun
Moniat Macun Macun is the art of fruit-preserving, and the lady who owns this shop has perfected that art. She preserves almost anything she comes across (so watch out), from exquisite green walnuts pickled while still raw, with a pungent, almost bitter taste; to the soft texture of melon and watermelon that melts in the mouth. You can try the preserves before you commit, but a lovely jar will be a tasty reminder of summer fruits during the cold days of winter.
Moniat is on the ground floor, opposite the Sedirhan café.
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Asmalı Beach
You are better advised to ignore the rather scrappy beaches to the west of Zafer Gazinosu Beach and head instead for Asmalı Beach, fronting the border village of Yeşilırmak (Limnitis). This is a clean pebble beach with four restaurants catering to those who make it this far out. Of curious interest is a huge grapevine. Planted in 1947, the enormous vine completely covers the outside dining area of the Asmalı Beach Restaurant at the western end.
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Library of Sultan Mahmut II
The Library of Sultan Mahmut II is housed in an octagonal building erected in 1829. It contains some 1700 books, and the interior is decorated with a calligraphic frieze in blue and gold. Some of the books are up to 700 years old and the more valuable tomes are displayed in special cases. The books were on loan to the National Archive Library of Cyprus during the time of research.
The same ticket also gives you access to the Bedesten and the Lapidary Museum.
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Kumarcılar Han
Just to the north of the Büyük Han, on Agah Efendi Sokak, is the Kumarcılar Han, a late-17th-century caravanserai, which worked in a similar way to the Büyük Han. It was closed for reconstruction at the time of research. Rumour has it that once it's been renovated, the building might once again become a place for gamblers. This would be no surprise considering the casino epidemic currently sweeping the North.
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Boghjalian
Housed in the former mansion of a wealthy Armenian, the Boghjalian is a quality restaurant and very popular in town. The set menu consists of either meze or mixed kebab. Food is served in a leafy courtyard. This place is almost always full for dinner and particularly for lunch, when visitors cross over from the South, especially as it's close to the Ledra Palace Hotel crossing point.
reviewed
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Belediye Pazarı Nargileh Bars
A popular drinking area in the Old City is behind the Belediye Pazarı inside the restored old market building. Resembling a kind of warehouse, with tall ceilings and low-hanging lamps, the space has a pretty, modern look. There are several bars inside, and the rather young clientele is keen on the nargileh-sucking. It's lively and fun for a drink in the Old City.
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Zafer Gazinosu Beach
A 12km stretch west of Gemikonağı has sandy and pebbly beaches, ending at the border with the Republic. First up is the prominently signposted Zafer Gazinosu Beach. It's mainly a pebble beach with some imported sand for those who prefer it. There is a wooden diving and swimming pier, changing rooms and toilets, as well as an attendant bar and restaurant.
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Sedirhan Café
This is the best place to eat Turkish ravioli, while you admire the beauty of the Büyük Han - the Sedirhan is in its courtyard. You can also have a coffee or a beer, and eat some börek (meat or cheese rolled in thin pastry). On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the inn is a concert venue for (usually free) live music and the café stays open late.
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Cinema Nostalgi Bar
On the northern side of town, this is perhaps the most popular of bars on North Nicosia's rock scene. Live music is on most evenings, but there is no cinema here - it's all in the name. The son of the North's Prime Minister, Mehmet Ali Talat, has been playing gigs here (he's a singer in a local rock band), so a bit of local celebrity spotting can be done too.
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Koza
Cyprus' heritage of producing silk from silk worms and the once ubiquitous mulberry trees comes alive in this shop, where the owner, Munise, together with her elderly mother, hand-weaves the silk patterns. The patterns were traditionally used for picture frames, or simply as framed wall decorations themselves. Koza is on the 1st floor, above Moniat Macun.
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