Northern Cyprus

Northern Cyprus covers the northern part of the island of Cyprus, from the north coast to the long, narrow Karpas peninsula pointing north-east. The Kyrenia range, a thin limestone ridge crowned by the medieval castles of St Hilarion, Buffavento and Kantara, shelters a green coastal strip of olive and carob groves. South of it lies part of the flat Mesaoria plain, and wild donkeys roam the Karpas. Summers are long and hot, winters mild and short.

The island’s older history is shared. Salamis, near Famagusta, was a leading city of ancient Cyprus, Lusignan kings built Bellapais Abbey, and Famagusta’s Venetian walls fell to the Ottomans in 1571, after which Turkish settlers came to the island. British rule began in 1878, and Cyprus became independent in 1960. After intercommunal violence from 1963 and a Greek-backed coup in 1974, Turkish troops landed and the island was divided. The Turkish Cypriot authorities declared the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in 1983, which only Türkiye recognises.

Turkish Cypriot cooking joins Anatolian and island traditions: hellim, as halloumi is called here, molehiya stew made from jute leaves, and şeftali kebab wrapped in caul fat. Universities in Nicosia, Famagusta and Kyrenia draw students from many countries, tourism fills the harbour and beaches around Kyrenia, and citrus groves on the Morphou plain, called Güzelyurt in Turkish, grow oranges and lemons, with much of the trade running through Türkiye.