The article deals with the Omeriye Mosque which was erected as a church in the 14th century and transformed into a mosque by the Ottomans in the 16th century. It was used exclusively by Turkish-Cypriot Muslims until the mid-1950s. Since the 1980s it has become a multinational place of worship. The mosque, located in the southern ("Greek") part of divided Nicosia, is today a meeting place for hundreds of Muslims mainly from Syria, Egypt, Pakistan and Bangladesh; they include migrant workers, students, and asylum-seekers. After a short historical introduction, the article examines the spatial characteristics of the mosque, the ethnic and social composition of the mosque-goers, particulars of worship and teachings as well as the running of the mosque.
Nicosia is a city designed to be divided across many false lines. The rich history of the city reveals the remnants of foreign intervention that imprinted a multi-cultural background on Nicosia, which -at the same time- erected some artificial lines of segregation. Britain's colonial rule was crucial in fostering the most contemporary lines of division. A given constitution in 1960 made these lines look inevitable, and by 1964 Nicosia (like many other towns in Cyprus) was already divided on the ground. Turkey's military invasion in 1974 imposed an even deeper line of division across Nicosia (and Cyprus) that engendered some novel problems which are visible up until today. EU accession stimulated some hope for overcoming division, which is relatively elusive. (author's abstract)
It is a very common sight in many cities of the world to have in a material or immaterial form some sort of walls. Defense walls still exist in cities, being gradually integrated in the urban fabric and the public infrastructure, however other types of limits have emerged in the last centuries. Political division lines or socioeconomic limits divide contemporary cities. The example of Nicosia is taken as a case study. An intersection of different types of urban limits is met in the case of the divided capital. Starting from the 16th century when the medieval walls were built, the city is marked with different types of urban limits with the last one being the buffer zone, a neglected no man's land that divides the island's north and southern part. The space between the limits is slowly decaying trapped in the moment of division while the urban fabric that surrounds it keeps changing. To think of an afterlife for these spaces requires to be viewed from a different perspective, the underutilization, the collapsing ruins of past should not be perceived as a dead corpse waiting for rebirth but as the main element for any possible regeneration process. The proposal uses the theory of field conditions as the background on which it is articulated. The same elements that define each of the limits become the primary design strategies. The theory developed by Stan Allen aims in generalizing any spatial matrix capable of unifying diverse elements while respecting the identity of each. Thus the buffer zone becomes the site of intervention, in an attempt to become again a vital part for the city, the chaotic differences and the diversity of elements that form Nicosia today can be the solution to its division. ; Award-winning
Former president of the Republic of (Greek) Cyprus, the author analyses the Nicosia Wall as an emblem of the division of the city and the state of Cyprus. He recounts the island's history from 1946 to 1960, from the struggle for union with Greece to independence from Britain and the presidency of Archbishop Makarios III, and then 1960-1974 – from the short-lived bi-communal state to the Turkish invasion and the appearance of the Nicosia Wall. The bi-communal state was based on a Greek Cypriot president and a Turkish Cypriot vice-president with the power of a veto. That was an eventful period: a coup d'état in Greece (1967), a coup d'état in Turkey (1971), a coup against Makarios to proclaim Enosis (union) with Greece, and diplomatic efforts to keep the state of Cyprus together. The failure of those efforts resulted in the Turkish invasion of the north of the island and the de facto creation of the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus. In 2003 a relaxation of controls on the Wall gave people a chance to move from one part of the island to the other, but for the last 16 years nothing else has changed. The author goes on to detail diplomatic and political intiatives, including those taken under his own presidency and the UN's Ghali Set of Ideas to achieve unification by means of a referendum. In 2004 Cyprus' accession to the European Union formally included the whole island but in practice only the Greek part, and entry in the Euro zone in 2008 also brought no unification. In 2015 the author expressed his hope that unification could be achieved, and has voiced the same sentiment in 2019. Although this hope seems increasingly forlorn, the author continues to nurture it, since "without hope there is no future" and "to be able to overcome the difficulties and survive we need to have hope. We need to be optimistic that the future will be better than the past". ; L'autore, già presidente della Repubblica di Cipro (Greca), illustra e problematizza il "muro di Nicosia", come emblematico della divisione della città e dello stato di Cipro. Egli illustra il periodo 1946-1960: dalla lotta per l'"Unione" di Cipro alla Grecia alla indipendenza dalla Gran Bretagna, con la presidenza dell'Arcivescovo Makarios (III). Poi considera il periodo 1960-1974: dallo stato "bi-communal" di breve durata all'invasione e alla creazione del "Nicosia Wall". Tale "bi-communal state" prevedeva un Presidente greco-cipriota e un vicepresidente turco-cipriota con diritti di veto. Tale periodo è denso di fatti (il colpo di stato in Grecia (1967), il colpo di stato in Turchia (1971), il colpo di stato contro Makarios per proclamare l'Enosis di Cipro alla Grecia) e di diplomazia per mantenere lo stato cipriota unito Ciò non avviene, e quindi nel 1974 le truppe di Ankara occupano il nord dell'isola, e viene creata de facto la cosiddetta Repubblica Turca di Cipro del Nord (RTCN). Nel 2003 vi è un allentamento del controllo del muro con la possibilità data ai cittadini di passare da una parte all'altra di Cipro. Ma per i successivi sedici anni tutto si è fermato qui. L'autore percorre poi analiticamente gli sforzi diplomatici e politici, compresi quelli della presidenza dell'autore, Georgios Vassiliou, e della "Ghali Set of Ideas" dell'ONU per realizzare l'unificazione, anche attraverso referendum. E intanto si realizza l'entrata nell'UE dell'intera Cipro, formalmente, ma in realtà solo della Repubblica di Cipro (parte Greca) nel 2004 e poi nel 2008 nell'Euro Zona, senza unificazione delle due parti. L'autore, ancora nel 2015, si augura che questa unificazione abbia successo, ma invano; e poi nel 2019 spera che ciò avvenga in un prossimo futuro. Tuttavia tale speranza si fa sempre più flebile, anche se l'autore conta ancora su di essa, se non altro perché "senza speranza non c'è futuro", e " per essere capaci di vincere le difficoltà e sopravvivere dobbiamo avere speranza. Dobbiamo essere ottimisti che il futuro sia migliore del passato".
Urban furniture can be defined as aesthetics and comfort elements that reflect the identity of a city and enable the urban space to become livable. Urban furniture is an important element of the city in order to improve the quality of urban life, to create a comfortable and reliable environment and to meet the needs of the users in the best way. For designing these elements, the social, economic, cultural and architectural structure of the city should be considered and evaluated. It is important to adapt the urban furniture to the urban texture and to the cultural structure achieving an urban identity, in order to ensure the survival and sustainability of the historical environments. In this study, a study was carried out in the context of urban furniture in Nicosia Walled City, which has many architectural cultures with its historical texture. In this context, firstly the concept of urban identity and urban furniture was explained and then, information about urban furniture was given in historical circles with urban furniture samples from different countries. As a field study, a main axis was determined and the streets and squares on this axis were discussed. These areas have been explored starting from Kyrenia Gate in North Nicosia; İnönü Square, Girne Street, Atatürk Square, Arasta Square, Lokmacı Barricade and on the south side Ledra Street and Eleftherias Square. In this context, the existing furniture in the North and South were determined and evaluated in terms of urban identity accordingly. As a result, it can be suggested that the existing street furniture equipments, especially on the north side, do not have any characteristic to emphasize the urban identity. According to the findings, it was determined that the urban furniture in the streets and squares on the north side is generally older and neglected, and does not provide a unity with the environment, whereas on the south side, these elements on the street and square are relatively new, functional and environmentally compatible.Key words: urban furniture, historical environment, urban identity, Nicosia Old City
Nicosia, the capital of the island of Cyprus, has accommodated diverse political changes, and the city itself has transformed in the process. In the recent past, as an outcome of the 1963-1964 ethnic conflicts, the city's most radical transformation has been its division into a Turkish and a Greek part. This article argues that this division has not only affected the daily lives of people living in the northern part of Nicosia but has also caused changing socioeconomic dynamics. The article explores these shifting boundaries through an analysis of the border area and maps these changing spatialities through in-depth interviews with certain social actors. Thus, this study offers a broader understanding of the Cyprus issue, as well as highlights certain intangible aspects of urban boundaries as they affect the spatial configuration of divided cities in general.
Due to increasing population and expansion of cities, urban planning issues are becoming more important worldwide. It is realized that biological methodologies ought to be coordinated into urban arranging activities. Particularly in European cities, creating greenways and green corridors is a very recent phenomenon. The advancement of green space along urban waterways could moderate urban warmth island impacts, improve the physical and mental prosperity of city occupants, improve flood resilience and could also sustain biodiversity. The Pedieos River is the longest river in Cyprus. Like most of streams on the island, it is a non-enduring waterway, of fleeting nature that for the most part streams during the blustery winter months or after overwhelming precipitation occasions. A literature review was undertaken to discover the importance of rivers within the urbanized areas. It is known that the Pedieos River is firmly connected to the historical backdrop of Nicosia as it is one reason for the city's presence at the site. The increase of impermeable areas as a result of urbanization is also one of the main causes for flooding in recent years. In this research, the current situation of the river was investigated and its possible rehabilitation discussed for more sustainable city. The aim of this study is to recommend a feasible proposition by examining green territory zones and reason green passages along the Pedieos River so as to improve the living condition of Nicosia city.
Keywords: Greenway, river, Pedieos River, urban planning
Walls play an important role in the spatial configuration of cities. In addition to being one of the main factors or components in the configuration of spatial structure, a wall can also be assigned various intangible social meanings. Multiplicity of walls in many cases especially in partitioned or divided cities, have been studied by many scholars. Nicosia, the capital of the island of Cyprus can best be interpreted with the use of the words: walls, division, buffer zone, green line, destruction, and re-connection. The main aim of this paper is, first, to discuss and interpret the two walls (hard borders) of Nicosia - the historic walls and the buffer zone. Second, the role of these walls with respect to the issue of forming a border will be investigated throughout the partitioning process of the city. Additionally, the paper will try to identify the changing meaning and interpretation of these walls with respect to the two major ethnic communities, who are divided within the city. Adapted from the source document.
Historical neighbourhoods are among the most significant indicators of the cities; as they involve history, culture, architecture and social life. It is very important to protect and ensure sustainability of these places. This goal needs to be achieved without damaging the urban identity via protecting the historic entities. Additionally the restoration and re-use works need to take place under the supervision and cooperation of related government bodies and civil society organisations. Nicosia with its Walled City is a historical environment with a rich architectural and cultural heritage that is currently the focal point of conservation and rehabilitation activities as a circle of urban design implementations. Within this framework in this study, the aim is to evaluate perception and views of the users about urban design implementations involving rehabilitation and conservation activities via survey. Based on the results, the users seemed satisfied with the outcomes of the rehabilitation and re-use of the buildings. However the participants also highlighted the existence of car parking problems, inadequate infrastructure and urban furniture and environmental pollution. Additionally the users do not prefer the areas that have not been renovated and the regions with low socio-cultural characteristics.
Keywords: Historical environment; urban design; user perception; Nicosia Walled City
