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It
is not possible to say when first inhabitants of Cyprus
lived, but it is believed possible that as long ago as 8.500
B.C. there were settlements on Cyprus.
Cyprus
has had many names, but the name we use now is believed
to have come from the word copper of which there was, and
possibly still is, an abundance of on the island. An alternative
theory is that its name comes from the word Kypros
(the Greek for henna) of which there was also abundance.
No one knows for sure.
Cyprus
has had a troubled history. The abundance of copper, timber,
and the strategic location between East and West resulted
in repeated invasions, changes of rulers, and strife for
the inhabitants.
Before
the annexation to Rome in 58 B.C. Phoenicians, Archaeans,
Assyrians, Egyptians, Persians, and
Greeks colonized Cyprus.
In
43 A.D. Christianity came to Cyprus and in 330 A.D. Cyprus
became part of the Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire.
And so it remained until 1191 when Richard the Lionheart,
on his way to the Holy Land to fight the 3rd Crusade, conquered
the island. A year later Richard sold the island to the
Knights Templar for 100,000 Byzants. The Knights Templar,
unable to exploit the island satisfactorily, then returned
the island to Richard who sold it to the French nobleman
Guy de Lusignan. The Lusignan dynasty ruled the island for
the next three hundred years - a rule that was often oppressive,
effectively reducing Cypriots to serfdom.
In
1489 the Lusignan King James died leaving the Kingdom
to his Venetian wife who abdicated giving the island to
Venice. The Venetians saw Cyprus primarily as a military
base and built fortifications all over the island. Cypriots,
at that time, were seen merely as a populous to be taxed
as much as possible. In fact, it is said that Venetian
rule was so unpleasant that when the Ottomans arrived
in Cyprus in 1571 the locals felt as if they had been liberated
from slavery.
The
Ottomans abolished serfdom and instated the Orthodox Church
as the Church, of Cyprus. They also made being Catholic
a punishable offense, so Cypriots had to choose between
Orthodox Christianity and Islam. The majority chose Christianity,
but the result was that the population began to take on
the ethnic structure it still possesses today, namely Greek
and Turkish.
The
Ottoman Empire entering the First World War on the side
of Germany and emerged defeated, partly occupied by foreign
powers, and with harsh restrictions imposed, Cyprus became
a part of the British colonies, following the Treaty
of Lausanne in 1925.
In
1960 the Treaty of Zurich was signed to give independence
to Cyprus whilst protecting the rights of the Turkish Cypriot
population. The guarantors of this treaty were Britain,
Greece, and Turkey.
In
1963 relations between the two communities separated by
language, culture and religion, had deteriorated. 13 articles
of the Constitution were attempted to be changed in favour
of Greek Cypriot community, also disarming Turkish Cypriot
Police and establishing the National Greek Cypriot Guards.
These measures were in clear contravention of the Treaty
of Zurich. Civil war began, and the United Nations
sent in troops in an attempt to restore peace, creating
the Green Line, which effectively divided the communities.
In
1974 Greece attempted a military coup in conjunction with
the Greek National Guard in a bid to achieve ENOSIS (Idea
of union with Greece).
On
the 20th July 1974, Turkey, after consultation
with Britain, intervened military, namely Peace-Keeping
Action to protect the Turkish Cypriot community. This
was in exercise of the powers of guarantee agreed in the
Treaty of Zurich.
Since
this time the island has remained divided. On the 15th November
1983 The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was
founded. It is a fully democratic state and with exception
of a few border incidents, internal peace has been established.
Northern
Cyprus Homepage
North
Cyprus Forums - is the place to ask questions
and read interesting posts about Cyprus. It's free to register
and to post messages. This will be a great resource for
tourists. Check it out!
Facts
about Northern Cyprus - Climate, entry requirments,
currency, location, how to come, language, electricity,
shopping, population and more...
Kyrenia
City - Places to visit, museums, hotels, scuba
diving and more.
Hotels
& Holiday Villages - Hotels and holiday villages
in Northern Cyprus.
Car
Rental - Rent-a-Car services provide comfortable
cars for your travel pleasure.
Photos
- Photo Gallery
Cyprus-Holidays-Hotels.com
- More information about the island is available at this
site.
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