Varosha – Explore a ghost town in Cyprus with a private guide

After the Ottoman conquest of Cyprus in 1571, Christians were expelled from Famagusta and forced to build new homes outside the walls. After independence from Great Britain, Varosha developed into a well-known tourist resort in the 1960s and 1970s. Large hotel complexes were built near the beach.

A year before the civil war and the Turkish invasion, Varosha was generating more than 50% of the island’s total income from tourism. There were now 45 hotels with more than 10,000 beds, 60 apartment hotels, almost 100 recreation centres, 21 banks, 24 theatres and cinemas and around 3,000 large and small shops. The population was just under 32,000.

On 14 August 1974, the Turkish military occupied the city and declared it a closed area. In 1978, with the mediation of UN Secretary Kurt Waldheim, a Memorandum of Understanding was reached but not implemented. When the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was established in 1983, its government threatened to colonise Varosha, and in 1984 the UN Security Council condemned this threat and proposed that the ghost town be placed under UN jurisdiction.

The reason why Varosha is uninhabited is due to a UN Security Council resolution which states that no one other than the inhabitants of Varosha may settle in any part of the town. As a result, Turkish forces are unable to recolonise the area under their control, leading to the complete depopulation of the Varosha district. A UN plan to reunify the island envisaged the return of the original inhabitants to Varosha. This plan was rejected by the Greek Cypriots in a referendum in 2004.

No people, no maintenance. As a result, the buildings are gradually falling into disrepair and nature is slowly taking over, corroding the metal, breaking windows and overgrowing the walls and paving.

 

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10 best places at cyprus, famagusta, ghosttown, guided tour, private guide, Varosha