During the war in Cyprus between Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots, the Varosha district in Famagusta was completely abandoned by its residents within a few days. Subsequently, this part of the city was looted and occupied by the Northern Cyprus army troops and UN peacekeepers. As a result, Varosha has been frozen in time since 1974 — its architecture, urban design, and signage coexist with abandonment and destruction, although not directly caused by military actions. Varosha is a district of the city of Famagusta, located on the Mediterranean coast in Northern Cyprus. Just 50 years ago, it was a popular resort in the independent and newly established island state of Cyprus.
Until 1960, the island of Cyprus belonged to Great Britain, which had taken it from the Ottoman Empire and colonized it in 1878. The population consisted of Greeks (80%) and Turks (18%), with settlements ethnically mixed. After Cyprus declared independence, Britain left the island but retained two military bases — on the Akrotiri peninsula and near the village of Dhekelia.
In the 1960s and early 1970s, Famagusta was the most popular resort in Cyprus. The Varosha resort area began construction in the 1960s. By 1974, there were over 100 hotels here, accommodating 11,000 people. Nearly 40,000 people lived in Varosha, most of them Greek Cypriots. The word “varoş” comes from Ottoman Turkish (“واروش”) and translates as “suburb” or “outskirts.” This is quite accurate — the district was built in fields outside Famagusta. Famagusta is the English name of the city, Gazimağusa is the Turkish name, and Ammochostos is the Greek name. Famagusta was considered the main resort in Cyprus, the “Mediterranean Las Vegas,” favored by world celebrities including French actress Brigitte Bardot and American movie star Elizabeth Taylor.
The constitution of Cyprus at that time was complicated, and the Greek and Turkish communities could effectively block any decisions of the central government. Both communities refused to enforce laws passed by the other side. In 1963, ethnic conflicts began, and a year later UN peacekeepers were deployed on the island. In 1974, the peacekeepers left the island, and on July 15 of the same year, the Greek Cypriot terrorist group EOKA-B overthrew the president and insisted on uniting the island with Greece. During the coup, peaceful ethnic Turkish civilians were killed. In response, Turkey landed 30,000 troops on Cyprus, occupying just over one-third of the island’s territory. Greek Cypriots accused the Americans of allowing this to happen. The president of Cyprus said the strongest feeling he had at that moment was “disgust at the countries that could have prevented the Turkish invasion.” With the start of the war, the Turkish army occupied Varosha, and Greek Cypriots were forcibly relocated to the southern part of the island. The same happened to the Turkish population, who moved north.
Despite the city’s special status, in the 1970s Varosha was completely looted by marauders. Among them were Turkish soldiers who took furniture, TVs, and dishes to the mainland, as well as residents of nearby streets who took everything the soldiers and officers did not need. In 1974, Famagusta had 109 hotels with 11,000 beds. Some of Varosha’s hotel complexes are still legally considered private property of citizens from 20 countries worldwide. According to Cypriot economist Kostas Apostilidis, Varosha’s real estate, including hotels, villas, and land plots, can be valued at £2 billion.
After the residents were evicted, the district became a buffer zone between Northern and Southern Cyprus. It was controlled by Turkish Cypriots and UN troops. Tourists were strictly forbidden from approaching the fence enclosing the quarter or even photographing the abandoned hotels from afar.
Some fences separating the residential part of Famagusta from abandoned Varosha still bear signs prohibiting photography. Although inside Varosha itself, photography is unrestricted.
In 1977, Swedish journalist Jan Olaf Bengtson visited the Swedish battalion of UN peacekeepers and saw the closed district. Olaf called it a “ghost town”: “The asphalt on the streets is cracked from the sun’s heat, and bushes grow in the middle of the road. Now, in September 1977, dining tables are still set, clothes still hang in laundries, and lamps are still lit. Famagusta is a ghost town.”
In autumn 2020, after nearly half a century, Varosha was opened to tourists. When visiting this place, it is important to remember the reasons why the Varosha district was abandoned. The reason is war. And although no direct fighting took place here, thousands of people lost their homes and businesses in an instant, which likely changed their lives profoundly. Currently, the authorities of Northern Cyprus promote visiting Varosha more as entertainment. They position it as a “unique experience” of walking through an abandoned city and swimming on pristine beaches behind which lie ruined hotels. But to me, visiting Varosha is more like a visit to a memorial, a place of mourning, and a reminder of the consequences of war. About 860 peacekeepers from 25 countries remain on the island. They have not left Cyprus since 1963, except for a brief period in 1974.
During the forced relocation organized by Turkish troops, Greek Cypriots, the main population of Varosha, were given one day to leave the district. Sixteen thousand people gathered only their most important belongings and left their homes, thinking they would return soon. On the day Greek Cypriots had to flee Famagusta, British journalist Jonathan Dimbleby interviewed about ten people, asking if they were ready to return to their homes and live under Turkish Cypriot control. The residents refused, calling the Turks “barbarians” and “bad people” with whom coexistence was impossible. “I left my combine harvester, tractor, grain,” said a man of about 50 sorrowfully. When asked what he planned to do, he added, “I will kill myself.” People left their homes literally into the unknown. About 200,000 people became refugees — every third inhabitant of the island. Around five thousand died in the fighting. In the first hours after Turkish troops entered, many Greek Cypriot homes were looted, often before the owners had even left.
The camp of Turkish Cypriot refugees from the Greek part of the island numbered seven thousand people. Their homes were also looted, and they fled their villages often with only a small bag. But like the Greek Cypriots, the Turks refused to answer “yes” to the question: “Are you ready to return and live under Greek administration?” Turkish troops began forcibly relocating Greeks to the south, while Turks from southern territories fled north. Thus, Cyprus was effectively divided into two monoethnic territories, with the “Green Line” — a UN buffer zone — between them. British bases remained on the island.
In 1983, the Turkish community declared itself the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. But to this day, only Turkey recognizes the new state. Northern Cyprus is under international sanctions and is almost entirely economically dependent on Turkey. The currency of the unrecognized republic is the Turkish lira. Arrival is only possible from Turkey by air or sea.
Over 39 years, Northern Cyprus has had five presidents, none united on the republic’s self-determination. Some, like current president Ersin Tatar, support the policy of “two states for two peoples.” The previous president, Mustafa Akıncı, wanted reunification of the island and even openly clashed with Turkish president Erdoğan over this. The reason Varosha remains abandoned is UN Security Council Resolution 550, adopted in May 1984. It states: “Attempts to settle any part of the Varosha quarter by anyone other than its inhabitants are inadmissible.” Although in the 1990s, the Turks proposed settling Kosovo refugees in Varosha and later threatened to resettle mainland Turks there.
Kofi Annan’s plan (then UN Secretary-General) in 2004 provided for returning Varosha to the Greeks, but this never happened because about 75% of Greek Cypriots opposed it. Meanwhile, 65% of Turkish Cypriots supported Annan’s plan.
On March 21, 2008, the president of the Republic of Cyprus, Dimitris Christofias, held reunification talks with Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat. From June 1, plans were made to implement unified citizenship, and in September talks began on demilitarizing Nicosia (the capital of both Cypriot entities). In autumn and winter, unified governing bodies were negotiated.
In 2008, after reunification talks between the president of the Republic of Cyprus and the Turkish Cypriot leader, plans were made to introduce unified citizenship for island residents, but by 2011 all reunification projects stalled. The Turks insisted on decentralization of power after unification and could not agree on returning property to Greek Cypriots displaced from territories now controlled by Northern Cyprus. Another reason was Turkey’s refusal to recognize Cyprus’s right to develop gas and oil fields in its part of the Mediterranean without considering Turkish Cypriot opinions.
In 2020, a conference was planned to resolve the Cyprus issue with the participation of Turkey, Greece, and Great Britain. However, before negotiations began, Turkey announced the creation of a naval base in Northern Cyprus, and Turkish military drones began landing at Famagusta airport.
On the eve of the 2020 presidential elections in Northern Cyprus, the prime minister of the unrecognized state, Ersin Tatar, announced the opening of the Varosha beach area. This decision was supported by Turkey, while the UN Secretary-General and EU representatives expressed dissatisfaction with these actions. On the eve of the 2020 presidential elections in Northern Cyprus, Prime Minister Ersin Tatar first announced the opening of the Varosha beach zone. In July 2020, the president of Northern Cyprus declared that Greek Cypriots could apply to the property commission to reclaim their property if they have the right to do so.
Some hotels in Varosha are still owned by citizens from 20 countries, not only Greek Cypriots. According to Cypriot economist Kostas Apostilidis, Varosha’s real estate (hotels, villas, land plots) can be valued at two billion British pounds. On October 8, 2020, part of Varosha was indeed opened as promised. The following month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan visited the city. Since then, Varosha has been visited by 750,000 people, according to the president of Northern Cyprus. The first tourists from the international travel club, which includes Russian designer Artemy Lebedev, were personally welcomed by Northern Cyprus president Ersin Tatar.
The Varosha district stretches along the sea for four to five kilometers and one to one and a half kilometers inland. Only a small part has been opened to tourists, and visitors can walk along several streets — two kilometers along the coast on John F Kennedy Avenue and one kilometer inland on Dimokratias Avenue. In places, Varosha looks like a film set for a movie about an abandoned city. The district is frozen in the 1970s, and walking through it is like a time teleport half a century back.
Old neon signs, fonts, and logos of major companies like American Express, Polaroid, Agfa, 7Up, which are no longer used, defunct brands, and outdated design examples. Together with modernist architecture overgrown with greenery, this is the main reason to visit here. In places, Varosha looks like a film set for a movie about an abandoned city. The district is frozen in the 1970s, and walking through it is like a time teleport half a century back.
Along Kennedy Street, buildings of famous hotels such as King George, The Asterias, The Grecian, The Florida, and Elizabeth Taylor’s favorite hotel, The Argo, have been preserved.
Another important street in the city is Leonidas (Livadion), where the best shops, bars, restaurants, and the Toyota dealership center were concentrated, whose sign is still preserved today. The area is still controlled by Northern Cyprus military and UN peacekeepers. But the atmosphere is quite calm — people with guns are not standing on every corner.
The Church of the Holy Trinity (Ayia Triada) in modernist style was built as part of the Aspelia hotel in the mid-1960s. The old church was demolished to build the hotel, which upset local residents. They were even more displeased when they saw the new church building in a completely atypical style. Although the project’s architect claimed he was inspired by Byzantine churches of Cyprus and the Church of the Holy Trinity — a certain allusion to them. The Bilal Ağa Mosque (Bilal Ağa Mescidi), built in 1821 and reopened after restoration in 2020, stood abandoned for 46 years like other buildings in Varosha. Now it is possible to perform prayers there. The building retains inscriptions from the Ottoman period.
In May 2022, Northern Cyprus opened another 600 meters of beaches — from the King George hotel to the Oceania building. In January 2023, the president of Northern Cyprus announced that the entire Varosha would be opened for visits by the end of the year, but this has not yet been done.
Sources:
https://samokatus.ru/varosha/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varosha
