Cyprus: City of Ammochostos - Part 1

Ammochostos name means the city hidden in the sand. Famagusta, on the east coast of Cyprus, was once one of the most glamorous resorts in the Mediterranean. Its miles of pale sand and clear turquoise sea made it a destination for the Seventies jet-set, attracting thousands of visitors each year.

Along with the tourists, the 40, 000-strong population enjoyed a life rich in culture, with art, music and theatre that was the best on the island. With the deepest port in Cyprus, Famagusta handled more than 80 per cent of the island’s cargo, much of which comprised a vast tonnage of citrus fruit picked from the local orchards.

The modern district, where the luxury hotels and apartments were situated, was inhabited mostly by Greek Cypriots, while the walled city that contained the historical treasures of Famagusta – including numerous Byzantine churches and a spectacular 14th-century cathedral from the Frankish period – was lived in by Turkish Cypriots.

But 40 years ago, Famagusta’s reign as a paradise for islanders and tourists came to an abrupt and untimely end.

Following a Greek military coup in July 1974, Turkish forces invaded, ostensibly to restore constitutional order and to protect the Turkish Cypriot minority. After a brief period of ceasefire, Famagusta was bombarded and Turkish tanks then advanced.

On August 14, the Greek Cypriot population fled in terror, in cars, on buses, by foot, taking nothing but the clothes they stood up in. They expected help from a foreign power, but none came, and their evacuation turned into weeks, then months, then decades.

The Greek Cypriot residents were evicted from the Turkish army. Nowadays the city is a Ghost town (closed under United Nations surveillance)

Southeast Coast of Ammochostos

The Southeast Coast of Cyprus, area of Agia Napa and Protaras, Golden sandy beaches around the eastern coast, in the free part of Ammochostos area. The popular holiday resorts of Agia Napa and Paralimni-Protaras are a true paradise for lovers of the sea, watersports and nightlife. But there is more to the area.

Inland one can also admire a number of Byzantine and Frankish monuments and museums. The magical landscape was an inspiration to Greek Nobel poet laureate, George Seferis. Sights worth seeing include the medieval monastery at the centre of Agia Napa, the hundreds of windmills in the sprawling fields and the many Byzantine churches in the Paralimni-Protaras region and in surrounding villages.

End of part 1