From coast town to ghost town: Forty years after Turkey invaded Cyprus, photos show derelict homes, hotels and airports in Nicosia, the world's only divided capital
- July 20 marks the 40th anniversary of Operation Attila, Turkish code name for invasion Pictures were taken inside UN 'no man's land' buffer zone 112mile-long UN green line divides Turkish-occupied northern part of island from independent Republic of Cyprus
In the early 1970s, it was a top tourist destination, with golden sands, high-rise hotels and shopping precincts, frequented by the likes of Brigitte Bardot, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor.
Today, the streets along one of Famagusta's beach resorts, in the Varosha quarter, lie eerily silent, and have been for decades.
Nearby, surrounded by barbed wire, a plane sits forlorn on the tarmac - its tyres deflated and colours faded.
A control tower which once watched over the busy skies around Nicosia International Airport also stands derelict.
Everything here has been frozen in time since 1974 - the year of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus.
These are the haunting scenes inside the city of Nicosia, which is now the only divided capital city in the world - separated by a UN 'green line' buffer zone.
Around 112 miles long, it divides the Turkish-occupied northern part of the island from the independent Republic of Cyprus.
July 20 marks the 40th anniversary of the invasion, codenamed Operation Attila by Turks who opposed a union with Greece.
Only Turkey recognises the breakaway Turkish Cypriot state that was proclaimed in the north.
Tensions between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots had reached a peak in 1963 when President Makarios proposed constitutional reform.
The most violent phase was 1963-4 when both communities are believed to have suffered hundreds of casualties during widespread fighting - with hundreds more missing, presumed dead.
The invasion of 1974 eventually resulted in some 37 per cent of the island being captured by Turkish forces.
UN peacekeepers have patrolled the area for years to try and prevent clashes between the populations of the two halves of the island.
In places the neutral zone spans miles, but in the old town of Nicosia, it is barely 10ft wide - and still filled with echoes of the past...
A plane lies abandoned at Nicosia International Airport - a once-thriving hub until the Turks invaded Cyprus in 1974
These are the haunting scenes inside the city of Nicosia, which is now the only divided capital city in the world - separated by a UN 'green line' buffer zone
Barbed wire fills the inside of the airport, where tourists once passed through on their way to Cyprus's popular beach resorts
In the early 1970s, the Varosha quarter of Famagusta was a top tourist destination, with golden sands, high-rise hotels and shopping precincts, frequented by the likes of Brigitte Bardot, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor...
... but today, it is a ghost town - the hotels, beaches and boats abandoned
UN peacekeepers have patrolled the area for years to try and prevent clashes between the populations of the two halves of the island
Around 112 miles long, the green line divides the Turkish-occupied northern part of the island from the independent Republic of Cyprus. The buffer zone is just visible in the centre of the above image
In places, the neutral zone spans miles, but in the old town of Nicosia, it is barely 10ft wide - and still filled with echoes of the past
July 20 marks the 40th anniversary of the invasion, codenamed Operation Attila by Turks who opposed a union with Greece
Everything here has been frozen in time since 1974 - the year of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus
Under grey clouds, Nicosia International Airport stands neglected. Since its closure, other airports have sprung up serving Cyprus
Turkish and Greek Cypriot communities are making a new effort to reunite the island
The year that changed the island...
Smoke rises from bomb explosions during the Turkish invasion of Cyprus on July 20, 1974
The July invasion eventually resulted in some 3 per cent of the island being captured by Turkish forces before a ceasefire was announced, while about 37 per cent of the island was occupied in the second Turkish invasion the following month
Grief-stricken relatives contemplate the fate of their relatives who have gone missing during the invasion
British troops hand out food rations to Cypriot refugees during the crisis
Islanders clasp photographs of their loved ones who have vanished
Turkish troops during the July invasion. The Turkish-occupied north is only recognised as a separate entity by Turkey
Craters, rubble and burnt-out cars devastated the island in the aftermath of the invasion of Cyprus
Beds, possibly in a dormitory or hostel, are caked in rubble after this building received a vicious pounding
A displaced islander ponders what the future holds as he sits in a refugee camp
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2689220/From-coast-town-ghost-town-Eerie-images-derelict-houses-hotels-planes-Nicosia-divided-capital-city-world-Turkey-invaded-Cyprus-40-years-ago.html#ixzz37dOsmqhX
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