Introduction
The divided city of Nicosia is the capital of Cyprus, an island nation in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Nicosia lies on a plain near the center of the country. Greek Cypriots control one part of the city and Turkish Cypriots control the other. The city is known as Levkosia to the Greeks and Lefkosa to the Turks.
Places of interest
The old center of the city is surrounded by a wall that was built in the 1500s by Venetian rulers. On the east side of the wall, the great Famagusta Gate is now used as a hall for cultural events. Within the wall, on the Turkish side of the city, the most famous building is the Selimiye Mosque. Begun in 1209 and completed in 1325, the building was originally the Cathedral of Saint Sophia. In 1571, after the Muslim Turks invaded, it was converted into the chief Islamic house of worship in Cyprus. The Cyprus Museum has a fine collection of ancient treasures, some dating from earlier than 5000 BC. The Folk Art Museum features crafts from throughout the island's history. The University of Cyprus was established in Nicosia in 1989.
Economy
Many people in Nicosia work in government offices. Others work in schools, hospitals, banks, and restaurants. Tourism is important to both sides of the city. Nicosia's factories and workshops make cotton yarns, cloth and clothing, leather goods, food products, and beverages. On the farms of the surrounding region, grapes, citrus fruits, olives, and grains are grown. Goats and sheep are also raised in the area. An international airport is located about 20 miles (32 kilometers) outside of the city.
History
People have lived in the Nicosia area for thousands of years. In ancient times the city was called Ledra. It has had many rulers over the centuries. Romans took control of the city in the 1st century BC. Christians of the Byzantine Empire were in power from AD 330 to 1191. Under their rule, the city became the seat of government for Cyprus. The Lusignans, a noble family originally from France, ruled the city from 1192 to 1489. The Lusignans built forts, monasteries, palaces, and stout city walls. The walls were a necessity for a city that had been targeted at various times by European, Asian, and African invaders.
Control of the city passed to the city-state of Venice in 1489. The Venetians rebuilt the city walls. But still they were not strong enough to hold back the Ottoman Turks, who captured the city in 1571. The Turks ruled Nicosia for more than 300 years. The city passed to the British in 1878. Under British rule, the old city was rebuilt. Meanwhile, new districts sprang up outside the walls.
Nicosia became a scene of violence in the 1950s. First, groups fought against British control over the island. Then, after Cyprus achieved independence in 1960, rival Muslim and Christian groups fought each other. Christian Greek Cypriots had to leave Turkish parts of Nicosia, and Muslim Turkish Cypriots had to leave Greek areas. The United Nations sent peacekeeping troops to Nicosia and other areas to stop the violence.
In 1974 Greek-backed troops overthrew the government of Cyprus in hopes of uniting Cyprus with Greece. Soon afterward, troops from Turkey invaded the island from the north. They stopped only after they had reached Nicosia's Turkish district. A border known as the Green Line was then created between the Greek and Turkish sections of the city. In the 1990s Turkish and Greek Cypriots began taking steps toward working together on some common problems, such as sewage treatment. But Nicosia, like the rest of Cyprus, remained divided into the 21st century. Population (1999 estimate), Greek Nicosia, 195,000; (1996 census), Turkish Nicosia, 36,834.
