NORTH CYPRUS NICOSIA CITY THE CAPITAL CITY OF CYPRUS |
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| The Capital City
of Northern Cyprus, Nicosia (Lefkosia, Lefkosa); Nicosia in North
Cyprus; According to Assyrian sources from the 7th century BC, today's
Nicosia then used to be a city named Ledra. In about 300 BC, the son
of the Egyptian King Ptolemy Soter I, Lefkos, rebuilt this city, and
this name is immortalized in the modern local name of Lefkosia (Greek),
or Lefkosa (Turkish). Nicosia is the Prankish name of the city and
is thought to have appeared in the late 1100s. It is mostly used by
foreigners. Nicosia flourished during the Lusignan era; churches and
palaces were built, and Nicosia grew in size and in population. This
glorious period in the history of city ended in 1489 when the Venetians
captured Cyprus. The Venetians demolished most of the Lusignan monuments,
including churches and palaces and used the masonry to fortify the
city against the anticipated Ottoman invasion. In 1567, just before
the conquest of Cyprus by the Ottomans, the Venetians started to build
new protective walls in place of the old Lusignan walls ringing the
city, so as to be able to defend Nicosia North Cyprus. A famous Venetian
engineer named Giulio Savorignano drew the plans of the walls. The
walls have a circumference of 3 miles, 11 bastions each like a castle,
and three gates, named "Porta Del Proveditore - The Kyrenia Gate
North Cyprus" in the North, "Porta Giuliana - The defeated
Famagusta Gate" in the East, and "Porta Domenica - The Paphos
Gate in Cyprus" in the West. The Venetians demolished the houses,
palaces, monasteries and churches outside the three-mile circumference
of the city and used their stone in the construction of the walls.
Nevertheless, their efforts did not prevent the island from falling
to the forces of the Ottoman admiral Lala Mustafa Pasha in 1570 during
the reign of Sultan Selim II, and thus the Venetians were defeated
by the Ottomans before they had time to complete the construction
of the walls. After the conquest, the city gained new vigour and mosques
and baths and other institutions to meet the requirements of its new
masters were established, and a new building activity began. Yet,
to our day, the city has kept its oriental charm of a peaceful oasis
where softly and beautifully shaped palm trees overhang the roofs.
Nicosia, the capital of North Cyprus, is currently the biggest and
most densely populated city in North Cyprus. The developing, urban,
yet historic and charming city of Nicosia is the major centre for
arts, culture, diplomacy and business. Places To Visit in Nicosia North Cyprus; Kyrenia Gate - Mevlevi Museum - Ataturk Square and The Venetian Coulmn - Dervish Pasha Mension - Selimiye Mosque - Lapidary Museum - The Great Han |
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