Welcome to Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus and the southeasternmost capital in the European Union. People have lived here continuously for more than 5,500 years, and the city has been the island's capital since the 10th century. Nicosia is also the last divided capital in Europe: since the 1960s and 1970s a dividing line has run right through it, with the northern part serving as the de facto capital of Northern Cyprus. Today it is the island's financial capital and main business centre. Let's start at the great walls that encircle the old city.
Venetian walls of Nicosia
Photo: Nicosia029 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia CommonsYou are looking at the Venetian Walls of Nicosia, among the best preserved Renaissance fortifications in the Eastern Mediterranean. The first city walls were built in the Middle Ages, but in the mid-16th century the Republic of Venice rebuilt them completely during its war with the Ottoman Empire. With its fortifications, Nicosia became an example of an ideal city of the Renaissance, like Palmanova in Italy and Valletta in Malta. Walk along them and notice how much of the circuit still stands intact.
Selimiye Mosque
Photo: A.Savin · FAL · Wikimedia CommonsBefore you is the Selimiye Mosque in North Nicosia, once the Cathedral of Saint Sophia. It is housed in the largest and oldest surviving Gothic church in Cyprus, and it was here that the kings of Cyprus were crowned. Later it was converted into a mosque, and it has long been the main mosque of the island, with room for 2,500 worshippers. It is the largest surviving historical building in Nicosia, and it may have been the largest church built in the Eastern Mediterranean in the thousand years between the rise of Islam and the late Ottoman period.
Cyprus Museum
Photo: A.Savin · FAL · Wikimedia CommonsWelcome to the Cyprus Museum, the oldest and largest archaeological museum on the island, holding the world's most extensive collection of Cypriot antiquities. One rule makes it special: only objects found on Cyprus itself are on display. The museum was founded in 1882 after a petition by the Cypriot people, delivered to the British administration by a delegation led by both Christian and Muslim religious leaders. Their concern was the illicit digging and smuggling of the island's antiquities abroad.
Büyük Han
Photo: User:MatthiasKabel · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia CommonsStep through the gate into Büyük Han, the Great Inn, the largest caravanserai in Cyprus and considered one of the island's finest buildings. The Ottomans built it in 1572, the year after they took Cyprus from the Venetians, and it was modelled on Koza Han in Bursa. In the middle of the open courtyard stands a small mosque with a fountain for ablutions before prayer. Surprisingly, under British rule the inn became the city's first prison. Today its galleries, workshops and courtyard cafes make it a lively arts centre.
Ledra Street
Photo: Nicosiaduringnight1 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsStroll along Ledra Street, a busy shopping street in the heart of Nicosia that links the south of the city with North Nicosia. For years a barricade stood here across the United Nations buffer zone, a symbol of the city's division. It was removed in April 2008, and Ledra Street became the sixth crossing point between the southern and northern parts of Cyprus. The street takes its name from Ledra, an ancient city-kingdom that stood where the capital is today.
Archbishop's Palace
Photo: A.Savin · FAL · Wikimedia CommonsHere is the Archbishop's Palace, the official residence and office of the Archbishop of Cyprus. It was built between 1956 and 1960 in a neo-Byzantine style, right beside the Old Archbishop's Palace from the 17th century. The palace itself is not open to the public, but its grounds hold several museums that are, including the Byzantine Museum, the Folk Art Museum and the National Struggle Museum, as well as the Library of the Archbishopric.
Lomakuume
