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24-773: Lefka is known for its citrus fruits and mines. It is the site of the European University of Lefke . During the Venetian period in Cyprus, Lefka was dominated by Catholics of Italian descent. Turks migrated to Lefka during Ottoman rule. Asil Nadir and Nil Burak were born in Lefka. The city houses the tomb of Nazim al-Haqqani , spiritual head of the Haqqani branch of the Naqshbandi Sufi order, died on 7 May 2014. The first settlement in

48-441: A group of villages. The land consisted of crown estates, and during the first three decades of the century, the peasant population multiplied, the amount of cultivated lands as well as the price for the lease of the estates increased, in line with demographic and economic trends elsewhere in Cyprus. Cultivation included sugar plantations on royal estates in the 14th and 15th centuries. Lefka and Morphou had been particularly chosen in

72-405: A mixed town with a Turkish Cypriot majority and Greek Cypriot minority; in 1831, its adult male population was 328, comprising 294 Turkish Cypriots and 34 Greek Cypriots. In 1891, its population was 907, with 741 Turkish and 166 Greek Cypriots. The population increased to 1143 in 1901, then dropped to 1008 in 1911. In 1921, the population was 1163. After 1921, the population increased rapidly as

96-494: A mosque in the Arab raids on Cyprus till the 10th century. It was in a ruinous condition by the 1571 Ottoman conquest of Cyprus. Ebubekir Bey, an Ottoman officer and the grandson of the former Ottoman grand vizier Piri Mehmed Pasha , had the building repaired and established a foundation with his grandfather's name to maintain the mosque. A madrasah and primary school was also built next to the mosque between 1580 and 1584. The Orta Mosque

120-576: A purely Turkish Cypriot 4544 in 1973. The village is home to three mosques. These are the Piri Mehmet Pasha Mosque , Orta Mosque ("Middle Mosque") and the Aşağı Mosque ("Lower Mosque"). The Piri Mehmet Pasha Mosque is by far the oldest. Its site is said to be the site of the Byzantine church of Saint George. The current building was first built in the 7th century as a church, then converted to

144-841: A report by the United Nations Secretary-General : The freedom of movement of Turkish Cypriots were restricted in this period. The Greek Cypriot police committed what was called by the UN Secretary-General "excessive checks and searches and apparently unnecessary obstructions", which instilled fear in Turkish Cypriots who had to travel. Turkish Cypriots suffered the harassment of nationalist Greek Cypriot officers at control points, airports and government offices. The Secretary-General also noted his concerns about arbitrary arrest and detention . Greek Cypriot police imposed restrictions on Turkish Cypriot travel outside

168-561: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Turkish Cypriot enclaves The Turkish Cypriot enclaves were inhabited by Turkish Cypriots between the intercommunal violence of 1963–64 and the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus . In December 1963 the President of the Republic of Cyprus , Archbishop Makarios , citing Turkish Cypriot tactics aimed at obstructing the normal functioning of government, proposed several amendments to

192-553: The Lefka area dates from the Neolithic period. According to one hypothesis, the town was founded in the 3rd century BC by Lefkos, the son of the Ptolemy king of Egypt , who is also said to have founded Nicosia (known as Lefkosia), and named after him. Another hypothesis states that a sick Christian girl named "Lefka", meaning poplar in Greek, came to the town to be healed by the clean air from

216-480: The Ottoman architectural style, they feature elements of Greek architecture, such as Ionian columns , as well. This indicates the fact that many of these houses were built by Greek Cypriot builders. The houses have characteristic bay windows and arches in the interior. They all have inner courtyards, reflecting the conservative, closed Islamic family life of the early 20th century. They lie along narrow, unspoiled streets;

240-516: The Turkish Cypriots were forcibly excluded. After the rejection of the constitutional amendments by the Turkish Cypriot community the situation escalated into island-wide intercommunal violence. 103 to 109 Turkish Cypriot or mixed villages were attacked and 25,000-30,000 Turkish Cypriots became refugees. According to official records, 364 Turkish Cypriots and 174 Greek Cypriots were killed. Turkish Cypriots consequently started living in enclaves;

264-508: The acquisition of royal estates for the profitable cultivation of sugar, being placed at the fertile western end of the Mesaoria plain. After the 1571 Ottoman conquest of Cyprus , Turks from Anatolia were settled in the land and houses that belonged to the Latins in the town. Later, Ottoman officers and their descendants whose service in the island was over also settled in the town. Lefka thus became

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288-814: The copper mines began to be operated again by the Cyprus Mines Corporation (CMC). The population was 1781 in 1931 and 3666 (2685 Turkish Cypriots and 981 Greek Cypriots) in 1946. Due to the Cypriot intercommunal violence , most of the Greek Cypriot population of the town fled in the late 1950s. The town became a Turkish Cypriot enclave following the Bloody Christmas of 1963-64, and it saw an influx of Turkish Cypriot refugees from nearby villages, which they were forced to leave. The population has increased from 3674 (3586 Turkish Cypriots, 88 Greek Cypriots) in 1960 to

312-514: The enclave of North Nicosia . Initially, the movement of Turkish Cypriots in and out of Lefka was not allowed at all, the restriction was relaxed by October 1964 to allow them to travel eastwards, but not westwards towards Limnitis . Turkish Cypriot doctors were also not allowed to travel freely to carry out their profession, the Greek Cypriots insisted that they should be searched. The period of 1963-74 saw widening economic disparities between

336-449: The enclaves. Ban on building materials prevented the restoration of houses damaged by fighting when winter approached, and the ban on woolen clothing affected the supply of clothing to Turkish Cypriots, especially putting the displaced in a concerning situation. The restriction on tent materials further blocked the construction of temporary places of residence for the displaced. Below is a list of banned items as of 7 October 1964, according to

360-581: The most impressive mansions are located in the Nekipzade, Hacı Emin and Salih Suphi streets. In 2015, Lefka became a member of Cittaslow International . Lefka is twinned with: European University of Lefke European University of Lefke ( EUL ) is an institution of higher learning located in the Northern Cyprus ( de facto state ) Nicosia District town of Lefka , overlooking Morphou Bay . Founded in 1989 by Cyprus Science Foundation,

384-677: The mountains. According to the legend, she lived in Lefka for a long time and died in the town, and the town was named after her to honor her memory. Lefka has historically been a copper mining town. The copper reserves around the town were first mined in the Middle Bronze Age . Their operation continued into the Phoenician and Roman rules. They were closed by the end of the Roman period, in around 150. Ancient tombs dating to Hellenistic and Roman eras (between 310 BC and 150 AD) have been found around

408-475: The possession of certain items by Turkish Cypriots and the entrance of these items to the enclaves. The restrictions were aimed not only at restricting the military activities of Turkish Cypriots, but also to prevent their return to economic normality. As for fuels, all kinds of fuels including kerosene were initially banned, but the ban on kerosene was lifted by October 1964. The ban on petrol and diesel did remain in force until that time and hindered food supply to

432-566: The post-colonial constitution of 1960. This precipitated a crisis between the Greek Cypriot majority and the Turkish Cypriot minority, and Turkish Cypriot representation in the government ended. The nature of this event is controversial. Greek Cypriots claim that Turkish Cypriots voluntarily withdrew from the institutions of the Republic of Cyprus, while the Turkish Cypriot narrative has it that

456-487: The republic's structure was changed unilaterally by Makarios and Nicosia was divided by the Green Line , with the deployment of UNFICYP troops. The enclaves were scattered all over the island. The enclaves were deprived of many necessities. Restrictions on the enclaves began to be eased after 1967 and many Turkish Cypriots began to return to the villages they'd left in 1963. The Greek Cypriot-run Republic of Cyprus banned

480-518: The town. In the Roman period, the nearby Karavostasi served as a port town for trade with and transport to Egypt. A church dedicated to Saint George is known to have existed in the town during the Byzantine rule. Under the Lusignans and Venetians , Lefka served as a district capital, home to Frankish and Latin captains, barons and officers. The Lusignan royal family sought refuge in the town when Cyprus

504-518: The two communities. Whilst the Greek Cypriot economy benefited from flourishing tourism and finance sectors, Turkish Cypriots grew increasingly poor and unemployment increased. The enclaves were put under an economic embargo by the Greek Cypriot administration of the Republic of Cyprus, trade between communities was blocked. Due to travel restrictions, a large number of Turkish Cypriots had to leave their previous jobs. Refugees, meanwhile, had been uprooted from their old sources of income. The period thus saw

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528-669: The university opened in 1990 as a member of the Balkan Universities Network , and offers 77 undergraduate and school programs and 38 postgraduate and doctoral degree programs which are approved by Turkey 's Council of Higher Education ( YÖK ). The campus is located 45 minutes from the capital Nicosia, 60 minutes from Erchan Airport and the city of Kyrenia and 80 minutes from the city of Famagusta. 35°07′47″N 32°49′51″E  /  35.129798°N 32.830904°E  / 35.129798; 32.830904 This Cypriot university, college or other education institution article

552-608: Was attacked by the Mamluks in 1425. The town was home to a clean and simple inn in the Middle Ages, serving as a lodging place for those who visited the churches in Soli , Vouni , Solia and Maratasa in the Troodos Mountains . The count of Jaffa had a farm in the nearby Peristeronari . In the early 16th century, the town was recorded to be the centre of a bailaggio consisting of

576-636: Was built in 1904 and the Aşağı Mosque was completed in 1901. In the place of the Aşağı Mosque, there used to be another mosque, probably built in the late 18th-early 19th century. The "Middle Mosque" is so named because of its central location in the town, and the "Lower Mosque" is so named because it lies in the lower quarter of the town. Lefka contains numerous historical houses that are in the Cypriot-Ottoman architectural style. Most of these houses were built between 1900 and 1930, and while they are mainly in

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