Visiting Turkey-Controlled Partitioned North Cyprus

Visiting Turkey-Controlled Partitioned

North Cyprus

By

Sachi G. Dastidar

            In the summer of 2023 when we visited Cyprus, we took a trip to its partitioned Turkic-Islamic North Cyprus. This was a one-of-a-kind experience coming from British-created Partition of India in 1947.

            The first hurdle to visit the North has been relaxed a bit as the border has been opened in the partitioned City of Nicosia. We walked to the border crossing from hotel, which was in the downtown of the former united city. The independent part was thriving, but not so much for the partitioned north.

            We headed for the port-city of Kyrenia in the north of the Island for which we had to walk almost a mile through the old city to the taxi stand. On this side there was no writing in Greek, and most of the places flew Turkish flag. Several new Islamic mosques have been built to broadcast Islamic preaching.

            Even in this beachfront area we faced high temperature and heat in the summer of 2023.

Here is a map of Cyprus with northern part controlled by Islamic Turkey.

 

            Here are some pictures from Kyrenia, North Cyprus: