Famagusta

December 13, 2023: Ghosts of the Past

Having completed my 4-day road trip around Cyprus, I had one day left. Based on other travel blogs, I decided to visit Famagusta. As Famagusta is in Northern Cyprus, which has a different government than the Republic of Cyprus, I could not drive my rental car there. To get around this problem, I found a bus tour to take me to a few sights around Famagusta for the day. 

As mentioned in my Nicosia blog post, the island of Cyprus is split in two. The southern 2/3 is run by the independent Republic of Cyprus. It is part of the EU and speaks Greek. The northern 1/3 is run by the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. It is a vassal state of Turkey and speaks Turkish. The island was unified until 1974. A far-right wing Greek group conducted a coup and overthrew the government with the intention of making Cyprus part of Greece. In response, the Turkish government decided to invade the island to protect the Turkish Muslims (then 18% of the population). After fierce fighting, a ceasefire was declared at the so-called Green Line. The Green Line is patrolled by United Nations peacekeepers. 

Crossing the Green Line was impossible until 2004 when Cyprus joined the European Union. Due to a freedom of movement law, Cyprus started allowing EU citizens to cross the Green Line. Non-EU citizens were only allowed to cross in the last 5-10 years. 

The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is only recognized by Turkey but nevertheless is very much a functioning entity. 

The bus tour picked me up in Larnaca at 8:00. We picked up some more people along the way before crossing the border. The crossing was relatively painless: our guide collected our passports/EU identification cards and took them into the booth to get scanned. My passport was not stamped. Just like that, I was back in Northern Cyprus. 

We had four stops planned for the day. The first stop was the archaeological site of Salamis. Salamis was the capital of the island during the Greek and Roman period and competed with Paphos for importance. 

The ruins today date from the Roman period. The most impressive part is the gymnasium complex which contains columns, a bathhouse and even a communal toilet. I learned a funny fact that during the winter, rich Romans would have their slaves sit on the toilet before them to warm up the seat. 

In addition to the gymnasium, there was an impressive amphitheater.

Compared to Roman sites of similar quality around the world, Salamis feels…forgotten. The ruins are not well-maintained and there are no digs happening. 

Next, we headed to the Monastery of St. Barnabas. Barnabas was the assistant of the Apostle Paul who spread Christianity in its early days. His adventures with Paul are recorded in the Book of Acts. 

The tomb of St. Barnabas does contain a 2,000-year-old burial.

Near the tomb is a former Greek Orthodox monastery. The monastery dates to the 500´s but the current building is from the year 900. Following the Turkish invasion, the monastery was converted to a museum. 

We then headed into the town of Famagusta. Just like Nicosia, Famagusta has an old city with Venetian walls. During this time, the city was the main port on Cyprus and a cultural hub. 

The city fell to the Ottomans in 1570. The Ottoman takeover was fictionalized in Shakespeare’s play Othello. During the Ottoman period, many of the Venetian churches were converted to mosques including the incredible cathedral which has a strange minaret. 

Other churches were left abandoned. 

After walking around the town, I ate lunch at a famous Turkish bakery. After a main course of manti, I got a serving of milky baklava. I have never had baklava like this before and it was by far the best I´ve ever had. 

At last, it was time for the main attraction of the day: the Varosha Ghost Town. 

Varosha was a suburb of Famagusta. During the 1960´s and early 1970´s, Famagusta was the top tourist attraction in all of Cyprus attracting the likes of Brigette Bardot and Elizabeth Taylor. In addition to the thousands of tourists, Varosha had 39,000 residents. 

After the invasion, the Turkish army left Varosha abandoned, as there were easier places to repopulate. A 1984 agreement with the UN stipulated that only the original inhabitants of the town – who are all on the Greek side- could move in. 

During COVID, the Turkish army decided to open Varosha as a tourist attraction. They paved some of the main roads and operate it like a public park. The buildings are off-limits due to safety hazards, but the beach is open. 

To get around, there are e-scooter rentals and tram tours. However, I decided to walk. 

To walk through an abandoned city of this scale is truly surreal. I have never seen anything like this – except perhaps during the worst of the COVID lockdowns. The area is patrolled by both the Turkish army and UN peacekeepers.

At the far end of the open area, there is a single building open: a mosque. To me this feels like rubbing it in to their archenemy the Greeks. 

After 1 hour walking around Varosha, it was time to leave. I could have spent a lot more time there. 

We then boarded the bus and headed back to the Greek side of Cyprus and Larnaca. The next morning, I flew back to the US. 

Final Thoughts:

This was my favorite day of the entire Cyprus trip. The obvious highlight was the Varosha ghost town which alone is worth the visit to Cyprus. The other sites were interesting too! Famagusta´s old city could probably attain World Heritage Site status the island ever reunites. 

From a logistical standpoint, going on a tour was the right move. It was probably cheaper than taking taxis around and the guide helped because there are very few descriptions written anywhere.