Northern Cyprus, the Homeland of Wild Donkeys – Part 2

When the Gothic church is converted into a mosque

The Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque (formerly St. Nicholas Cathedral) is sure to attract the most attention, as the mosque is located in a former church, where the bell tower was replaced with a minaret and the interior was rearranged and a huge carpet laid in the middle. The cathedral was built in the early 14th century and converted into a mosque two and a half centuries later. Today's mosque is thus one of the few mosques in the Gothic style.

Next to the mosque or the former cathedral, it is necessary to mention Othello's castle or tower, which was built in the 14th century and was restored by the Venetians after the sale of Cyprus to the Venetian Republic. The mention of the restoration at the end of the 15th century is important mainly because one of the greatest artists of all time, Leonardo da Vinci, also took part in it. Of course, it goes without saying that the name of the tower is much younger than the tower itself, as it is named after Shakespeare’s Othello.

On a walk around the city, of course, we can't miss the cuisine, as we can enjoy a pleasant combination of Turkish and Mediterranean cuisine at almost every step.

The most beautiful port in Northern Cyprus

When mentioning any place in Northern Cyprus, one has to be very careful with the names as most of them bear a Greek and Turkish name. Girne or Kyrenia is no exception. What’s more, in addition to both names, the city is most often mentioned as the crown jewel of Northern Cyprus, which was certainly helped by the port with the mighty castle, which is a real treat for castle lovers. The castle has a carefully arranged museum, which is worth a visit in any case, and from the castle itself we have a beautiful view of the medieval port, which today is intended for smaller fishing and especially tourist boats, offering shorter and longer trips with lunch and refreshments in the crystal clean sea. But if you do not have enough time for a boat trip, there is a wide selection of restaurants in the port itself, where you will definitely find something to your liking.

Above the city, two more treats await us, namely the castle of St. Hilarion and Bellapais Abbey. The castle of St. Hilarion is one of the best-preserved crusader forts and is located so high that on a clear day we can see all the way to mainland Turkey. Bellapais Abbey is located a little lower, but still offers a beautiful view of the city of Kyrenia or Girne. Unlike the castle, the abbey is located in the romantic village of the same name, where every corner is said to have its own story.

Not just cats and donkeys but also turtles

But before we leave the coast and go to the last point – to the capital of Nicosia or Lefkosa, let me just mention the turtle beach Alagadi, which is about ten kilometers from the city of Girne or Kyrenia and where SPOT, the Northern Cypriot Turtle Conservation Association, operates. SPOT also offers the possibility of volunteer work and organizes sea turtle watching for visitors. More information can be found on their website.

The last divided capital in the world

For the end, we will move slightly away from the coast and focus on the last divided capital in the world – Nicosia or Lefkosa. The demarcation line between the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and the Republic of Cyprus also runs through the capital. The old city, located within a mighty wall, was split by the division of Cyprus in half in 1974, and the inhabitants of the capital were separated for 34 years, until the opening of the border crossing at Ledra Street at 9 a.m. on April 3 2008, allowing passage between both parts of the capital. To enter the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, a passport or even an identity card issued in one of the EU member states is sufficient, but not during the COVID-19 pandemic. As already mentioned in the first part, as many as three proofs were required for crossing the border, namely a vaccination certificate, a certificate of a negative result of a rapid or PCR test, and proof of a stay of at least ten days in the Republic of Cyprus which was colored red according to their epidemiological scoreboard. Of course, the latter condition is completely pointless, as the virus probably won’t go away after ten days, but we’re obviously going to have to get used to the pointless measures.

A walk through the Turkish part of Nicosia or Lefkosa

Luckily, my companion Dušan and I successfully crossed the border by car, and so we reached the Turkish part of the capital, where we spent several hours. The city offers an abundance of historical and cultural attractions, among which I would like to highlight Büyük Han, which is the best-preserved caravanserai in all of Cyprus and dates back to the late 16th century, when it was built by the then Ottoman governor Lala Mustafa Pasha. Since its renovation in 1990, Büyük Han has once again been the center of events, especially for visitors, as there are souvenir and handicraft shops, restaurants and much more in the inner courtyard.

In the immediate vicinity is the Selimiye Mosque, which was built between 1209 and 1326 as the Gothic Church of St. Sophia. The church also experienced two strong earthquakes in 1491 and 1547, and in 1571 the Turks removed all Christian symbols and converted it into a mosque and built mighty minarets, which are also visible from the southern part of the capital.

Have you heard of the Samanbahçe neighborhood?

The northern part of Nicosia also offers a number of excellent museums, steam baths or hammams, restaurants, bazaars and, of course, shops and some pompous administrative buildings, among which the court stands out. But the above is described in almost every tourist guide or prospect, so I’ll end this travelogue elsewhere, in the Samanbahçe district of the city, which you probably haven’t heard of. The city district is located in the heart of the northern part of the capital, less than a ten-minute walk from the border crossing and a five-minute walk from Büyük Han. Samanbahçe is a neighborhood of seventy whitewashed ground floor houses, just a few steps from the busiest street. It was built at the beginning of the previous century from materials that were best suited to the climatic conditions. These are mud houses with reed ceilings, which provide excellent thermal insulation, and white paint also helps protect against heat. There are no restaurants, shops or other hustle and bustle in the neighborhood, but it is a charming place for a peaceful walk between narrow streets surrounded by pots of geraniums, gerberas and vines.

All we are saying is give peace a chance (John Lennon)

To conclude, I hope that the peace we feel in the Samanbahçe neighborhood prevails throughout the island and that border crossings, military fortifications and the hatred between the Turks and the Greeks disappears forever. Then I will prepare a single travelogue, but for now I invite you to read the travelogue from the southern part of the island, prepared by a volunteer of the Hostelling international Slovenia and a long-time travel journalist of the Globetrotter Web Magazine, Dušan Berdnik.