Büyük Han in Lefkosa, Northern Cyprus
Cyprus,  History,  Photography,  Travel Blog

The Lefkosa Half Of Nicosia

October 26, 2023 /

A small sign saying “Pacific Car Rental return point” is all there is to guide us at Ercan/Lefkosa airport, and with no office presence, it’s soon clear that we have to phone Pacific for them to come and collect the car. 

“I have no drivers just now”, she says when we call, “send me photographs of the car and leave the key under the driver’s mat, we will pick up the car later”.

This means that we leave an unmanned rental car parked on double yellow lines immediately outside the airport terminal where it will probably stay untouched for at least a couple of hours – just imagine the consequences if you did that at a UK airport!

Gatehouse into Lefkosa, Northen Cyprus
Kyrenia Gate, Lefkosa
Lefkosa, aka Nicosia, Northern Cyprus
Büyük Han, Lefkosa

We are fascinated to explore Lefkosa, the northern half of the divided city of Nicosia, even though our method of entry in to Cyprus means that we’re not permitted to cross the partition line and so are restricted to the Turkish side only. Known as “North Nicosia” by the Greeks and by most of the rest of the world, the name Nicosia is rarely used at all on the Turkish side where the name Lefkosa prevails. 

Büyük Han in Lefkosa, aka Nicosia, Northern Cyprus
Büyük Han, Lefkosa
Büyük Han in Lefkosa, aka Nicosia, Northern Cyprus
Büyük Han, Lefkosa

The Green Line partition which stretches coast to coast to split the island in two, passes right through the centre of the city, with only a couple of permitted crossing points within the city limits. We covered the background to the 1974 split of the island and the creation of the partition in a previous post so we won’t repeat it now; suffice to say that despite recent relaxations of rules there remain tensions here which surface from time to time.

Kumarcilar Han in Lefkosa, aka Nicosia, Northern Cyprus
Kumarcilar Han, Lefkosa
Kumarcilar Han in Lefkosa, aka Nicosia, Northern Cyprus
Kumarcilar Han, Lefkosa

However for the most part the evidence would suggest that the wall is a badge that the population, on this side at least, wear with an element which almost seems to be pride and definitely contains humour – for instance, we spot trendy bars named “Barricade” and “The Wall” both very close to the Green Line.

It’s all quite unique – Europe’s only divided city and the World’s only divided capital – and it’s very odd to see the different ways the divide is constructed and maintained. After all, it is these days a “soft border”, in other words, all you need to cross the line either way is your passport (unless of course, like us, you’re illegal), yet the barricades away from the crossing points look like those from a war zone. Streets are cut in half, neighbouring houses are in different territory, separated by anything from lofty walls to steel sheeting capped with barbed wire.

Here’s a selection of shots of different parts of the wall…. (note the “no photos” signs, we had to be sneaky)…..

Green line in Lefkosa, aka Nicosia, Northern Cyprus
Ledra Street crossing
Green line in Lefkosa, aka Nicosia, Northern Cyprus

Green line in Lefkosa, aka Nicosia, Northern Cyprus
Green line in Lefkosa, aka Nicosia, Northern Cyprus
Green line in Lefkosa, aka Nicosia, Northern Cyprus
Green line in Lefkosa, aka Nicosia, Northern Cyprus

We keep finding ourselves drawn to barricaded street after barricaded street, there’s a kind of quasi morbid fascination in something so peculiar, something which is such a tangible measure of just how stupid the human race can be. Still, if it keeps the peace…

Green line in Lefkosa, aka Nicosia, Northern Cyprus
Green line in Lefkosa, aka Nicosia, Northern Cyprus
Green line in Lefkosa, aka Nicosia, Northern Cyprus
Green line in Lefkosa, aka Nicosia, Northern Cyprus

The effect of the partition on Nicosia/Lefkosa is not a breakeven, Lefkosa is significantly smaller than the Greek “half” of the capital. This uneven split has a helpful consequence for travellers to this side of the city – it is very compact with virtually all of the interesting sights tucked into the tight area between the ancient city walls and the not-so-ancient partition. Churches and cathedrals turned into mosques are a common sight, where often the transition is no more than the addition of a minaret and the clearance of the interior.

Venetian Column in Lefkosa, aka Nicosia, Northern Cyprus
Venetian column, Lefkosa
Buildings Lefkosa, aka Nicosia, Northern Cyprus
Medieval house, Lefkosa

Within this compact centre lie two small but attractive squares either side of the Selimiye Mosque, one of which is centred by a majestic Venetian column brought in from Salamis. Just north of the column and towards the Kyrenia Gate are the old houses of the Samanbahçe quarter, a cramped area of contiguous homes built on what was previously agricultural land. These small houses, each one of identical design, were an early example of social housing constructed during British rule to help with the city’s booming population. 

Samanbahçe in Lefkosa, aka Nicosia, Northern Cyprus
Samanbahçe quarter, Lefkosa
Samanbahçe in Lefkosa, aka Nicosia, Northern Cyprus
Samanbahçe quarter, Lefkosa

Lefkosa has what we might term a “lived in” look; there aren’t many pretensions in the town and there are plenty of derelict houses as well as humble dwellings in untidy streets. That’s not meant to be an insult: on the contrary, Lefkosa is a proper, slightly gritty town which feels very real, and is all the more welcoming for that.

Streets of Lefkosa, aka Nicosia, Northern Cyprus
Streets of Lefkosa, aka Nicosia, Northern Cyprus
Streets of Lefkosa, aka Nicosia, Northern Cyprus
Streets of Lefkosa, aka Nicosia, Northern Cyprus
Streets of Lefkosa

There is another joy here though – one which for us is extremely welcome after our previous two locations in Cyprus. The narrow streets close to the mosques and close to the central market and the Ledra Street crossing point form a relaxed, laid back quarter filled with kebab restaurants, coffee houses and bars. Gentle music plays, the draught Efes beer flows, smoke from hookah pipes drifts up the alley ways and the whole area overflows with the feel of calm, enjoyable evenings. 

Colonial courthouse in Lefkosa, aka Nicosia, Northern Cyprus
Colonial Courthouse
New mosque in Lefkosa, aka Nicosia, Northern Cyprus
New Mosque, Lefkosa

It’s a bit like being in a smaller town on mainland Turkey, or the Alsancak district of Izmir – a million miles away from the soulless concrete sprawl of Cyprusgrad and feeling, it has to be said, absolutely nothing like a capital city. There’s more of a content small town feel than anything else, pleasantly surprising given its proximity to a solid and contentious boundary. But for us it’s a welcome ending to what has not been a totally edifying visit to this country.

Streets of Lefkosa, aka Nicosia, Northern Cyprus and Selimiye mosque
Lefkosa

Lefkosa, aka Nicosia, Northern Cyprus and Selimiye mosque
Selimiye Mosque, Lefkosa

The two evenings in Lefkosa are splendid and we could easily relax and enjoy more, though in terms of sightseeing we’ve probably done all that there is to do in our single day here. Without being able to see the “Nicosia” side, landmarks are we suppose somewhat limited.

Armenian church inLefkosa, aka Nicosia, Northern Cyprus
Armenian Church, Lefkosa

Our last morning dawns. The mosque which is just yards from the window of our final base just happens to deliver possibly the loudest call to prayer so far, breaking the morning quiet at precisely the moment our alarm sounds to send us on our way to our early flight. Our status as illegal entrants means a flight to Istanbul and a second one on to Heathrow, a seamless and stress free journey but a little on the slow side, taking 14 hours door to door.

Arabahmet mosque Lefkosa, aka Nicosia, Northern Cyprus and Selimiye mosque
Arabahmet Mosque, Lefkosa
Arabahmet mosque Lefkosa, aka Nicosia, Northern Cyprus and Selimiye mosque
Arabahmet Mosque, Lefkosa

And so we’re home, our long and eventful journey through a Mediterranean summer is over, a trip which took us over land and sea all the way from our front door to the Sahara Desert without a single flight. A trip with many highs and a handful of lows, with lessons about the reality of world politics, with some fabulous, unforgettable experiences, with wine and song and those utterly memorable pintxos of northern Spain and Seville. A trip of 114 days, our longest yet.

Time now to reflect on it all. Time to get the maps out and plan the next one too.

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