A tale of one city and two capitals shows Cyprus’s division alongside Lefkoşa’s progress

This capital city was divided long before the Turkish military intervention on the island in 1974, and the conflict which led to the partitioning of the wider island. The separate zones were actually introduced in 1958 by the British, who split the walled city as part of its efforts against an insurgency from right-wing Greek nationalists, including the EOKA insurgent group.

Bloody Christmas

The line was expanded and reinforced in December 1963, during what was known as the "Bloody Christmas". The EOKA, backed by the Greek National Guard, attacked Turks in an organised campaign.

As the Greek Cypriot offensive started, around 30,000 Turkish Cypriots fled from more than 100 villages. They took refuge and barricaded themselves in the Turkish neighbourhoods of Nicosia and other safer places in other parts of the island where Turks lived.

Throughout the years, Greeks made various attempts to break through the Turkish Cypriot defensive lines in Lefkoşa and were driven back by the Turkish Resistance Organisation, or TMT.

Former fighters of the TMT – speaking to Al Majalla in the old city – said they were fighting for the survival of their families and community as the EOKA tried to eradicate them. There are exhibitions about those sad times in Lefkoşa at the National Struggle Museum and the Museum of Barbarism.

A fateful pen

The Green Line gets its name from the colour of the pen the British Office used to mark it on the map. It was supposed to be a temporary measure to stop the fighting between the capital's communities, establishing a border, which neither side should cross.

As the events unfolded, the Green Line grew. Eventually, the island was split into two states, along a border of 180 kilometres separating the Greek and Turkish communities.

Nowhere is this lingering division more stark than in the capital. But Turkish Cypriots have developed Lefkoşa into a modern, dynamic capital city with all the facilities required to live up to that status.

Here is a tour of the Turkish part of the capital of Cyprus.

As the city develops, the old part of Lefkoşa looks tired and worn in some places. Some areas are poorly looked after by the municipality and are said to have serious budgetary problems. And the mayor has not lived up to the expectations of many of its citizens.

But while growing on the outside of its old walls, within them, Lefkoşa has preserved its charm and character.  Among its historical and cultural landmarks is its famous bazaar, Arasta.

There are Ottoman houses from the 1800s. Famous mosques from the same period include Selimiye and Arab Ahmet Pasha. There are unique caravanserais roadside inns where travellers and merchants have taken their rest for hundreds of years.

There are also shops selling the latest fashions and brands, as well as antiques, food stalls, book shops and the famous craft sellers of marketplaces in Arasta and Bandabulya. Zahra Street, overlooking the Ledra Palace, has cafes, restaurants and bars, providing a lively nightlife for locals, students and tourists alike.

Crossing points and hotel symbolism

Visitors and citizens of both sides of the divide can cross between Lefkoşa and Nicosia 24 hours a day at two pedestrian crossings, open since 2003, at Ledra Palace and Lokmacı. There is a vehicle crossing at Metehan.

Turkish Cypriot border officials staff them under the Turkish Cypriot flag. Either passports or identity cards are required, depending on nationality. Information signs at the crossings are in Turkish, Greek and English.

As well as being a crossing point, Ledra Palace is a famous luxury hotel built in the 1940s and one of the main symbols of the divisions in Cyprus.

During the years of conflict, Greek Cypriot snipers targeted the Turkish side from the hotel's roof. Turkish snipers responded from the top of the Muharrem apartment building, one of the tallest buildings on that side, even though it only has four floors.

Today, Ledra Palace is inside the buffer zone. It has been used by the UN peacekeeping force – UNFICYP –  as its headquarters.

It has been the venue for official meetings between Turkish and Greek Cypriots, and gatherings held by the UN and international non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

Other significant landmarks are not far away, including the Parliament of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and the office of its president.

The president's building was constructed in 1939 in the colonial style for the British governor of the district. It has been used by the TRNC presidential office since 1983.

Presidential move

Upon the suggestion of Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the TRNC presidency compound plans to move to a modern headquarters, in one of the the newly developed parts of Lefkoşa, close to the Metehan crossing.

This area is also where the 600-strong Turkish regiment was stationed before 1974, and it was where some of the fiercest fighting took place between Turkish and Greek forces in the war.

Outside Lefkoşa's walls is a combination of low-rise apartment buildings, built in the 1970s and 1980s, and townhouses and villas featuring gardens and citrus trees. The historic city has resisted the development of tall buildings, at least for now.

Besides the south, Lefkoşa has grown in all directions, merging with the former large village of Gönyeli in the north, some 10 kilometres from the centre.

Gönyeli is in the middle of a construction boom, bringing many new villas and apartments. It is now called Gönyeli "Yenikent", or new city, with many modern shops and services, including famous international brands.

It has taller buildings, not least the 18-storey, five-star Concorde Hotel, which opened three years ago, complete with panoramic views taking in Lefkoşa, the Beşparmak Mountains, with their huge Turkish Cypriot and Turkish flags,  and then the Greek side to the south.

Town and gown

The area is also home to one of the higher education institutions that play an essential role in the TRNC and its economy. The private Near East University covers 2.3 million square metres.

In 2023, it hosted around 27,000 students from 143 countries, with a curriculum in Turkish and English, as well as Arabic in some departments, including economics, banking and finance.

The university campus also has a hospital, three museums, a cultural centre and shopping areas, along with an open-air exhibition of a few dozen bronze and marble sculptures by different Turkish Cypriot artists.

It was here that the university developed its electric car, called Günsel, which has passed the testing stage and is almost ready for mass production.

The TRNC may have political and economic problems over a lack of international recognition, and some friction in its municipal administration. But it has been able to develop along modern lines while preserving its historic heartlands, the test of any capital city world.