Cyprus’ incredible seaside town abandoned since 1974 after devastating war | World | News
This seaside town used to be flocked by celebrities, but was hastily abandoned (Image: Getty)
More than 50 years ago, a seaside town in Cyprus was a top destination for Hollywood elite and A-list celebrities, from Elizabeth Taylor to Richard Burton. Many new high-rise buildings and hotels were built to appeal to the masses, and Marash soon became the capital of the city. Modern tourist area of the city of Famagusta.
However, Türkiye’s invasion of Northern Cyprus on July 20, 1974 changed everything. In the following years, Greek Cypriots who called Cyprus home fled the northern third of the Mediterranean island, including the 15,000 population of Varosha. They were forced to leave in such a hurry that they fled their homes and left their personal belongings behind, leaving the town suspended in time and in the hands of nature. Tens of thousands of Turkish citizens moved into the occupied territory to form the de facto state of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which is currently recognized only by Türkiye’s capital, Ankara.
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Maraş was used as a ‘bargaining chip’ that was never played (Image: Getty)
Hubert Faustmann, professor of History and Political Science at the University of Nicosia and director of the Cyprus office of the Friedrich-Ebert Foundation, previously told the Express that the neighborhood was used as a “bargaining chip” that has “never been played with” since then.
The biggest obstacle to returning Varosha to Greek Cypriots is the Muslim religious foundation Evkaf (Evak), which claims ownership of a significant part of Varosha based on Ottoman-era documents from the 1571 conquest. Evkaf claims that most of the land in the ghost town was donated to it by the Ottoman Sultan and was never legally transferred, meaning any development there is illegal. But Prof Faustmann described this as “based on, at best, very, very dangerous legal grounds”.
Today, Maraş remains untouched; The only signs of life are the plants and weeds covering the buildings. Warning signs were also hung brave tourists of unstable buildings is in danger of collapse.
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In October 2020, Turkish President Erdoğan and then-Prime Minister of Northern Cyprus Ersin Tatar announced the partial opening of Maraş. (Image: Getty)
In recent years, Maraş has been put on the map again, but this time as a dark tourism spot. In October 2020, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, in agreement with the then Prime Minister of Northern Cyprus Ersin Tatar, announced the partial opening of the city. The following month, President Erdogan visited the occupied north and held a symbolic “picnic” in the fenced area.
“Maraş is used as a tourist destination, a tourist attraction, from which not a single resident returned before 1974,” Prof Faustmann added. “It has changed in the sense that it is open to the public, but it is not open to return.”
Construction workers were seen tidying up the area by pouring cement, removing debris, and roped off non-public buildings; Mobile canteens, tables, umbrellas and chairs now serve visitors. Today, approximately 3.5% of the city is open to tourists, and more than two million tourists descend on the area.
However, Prof Faustmann stated that these efforts would not be sufficient to allow the full-scale reopening of the neighborhood not only for tourists but also for residents.
