Closed Varosha, which is located within the borders of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and held in the status of a military zone with the agreement signed after the 1974 landing, was partially opened to citizens yesterday.
While the works carried out by the Immovable Property Commission were continuing, it was opened to the public with a partial opening in Closed Varosha.
Initiatives for the closed Varosha region started in the summer of 2019. So, why was Varosha closed off? Here is some information about the region…
CLOSED WHY IS MARAS CLOSED?
The city of Varosha, or Varosha, in Cyprus (TRNC) was closed with the decision taken due to the creation of a buffer zone between the Greek Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
The Maraş Region, which had an important place in terms of tourism in 1974, had 45 hotels, 60 apartments and around 3 thousand commercial workplaces.
It is among the claims that the world’s first 7-star hotel was first built here.
Before 1974, there were 45 hotels with 10 thousand beds and 60 apartment-type hotels in Varosha.
Maraş, also known as the ‘Ghost City’, was in the district of Famagusta and was one of the most luxurious tourism centers in the world with its modern architecture.
Varosha is the Greek name of Varosha, one of the favorite regions of Cyprus.
Maraş was captured by the Turkish Armed Forces on 13 August 1974 with the Second Cyprus Operation.
Then, the region was closed to settlement.
One of the most famous holiday resorts in the Mediterranean before 1974, Maraş is located in the ‘Green Line Buffer’ zone that divides Cyprus into two.
EVERYWHERE WAS FILLED WITH HOTELS
Apart from the members of the Turkish Armed Forces and the students staying in the dormitory next to the army house, the entrance to the inside was closed.
The tourism-oriented structuring of the city, whose land value is estimated to exceed 100 billion dollars alone, started in 1960.
Varosha, which stretches along the 6.5 km long sea coast, was more than 50 percent of the islands economy in the 1970s.
There were 45 hotels, 60 apartment hotels, commercial workplaces large and small, 99 entertainment centers, 25 museums, 24 cinemas and theaters, 21 banks and two sports facilities.
EVEN NAMES LIKE SOPHIA LOREN, ELIZABETH TAYLOR COME
Among the celebrities in the city, which had its heyday between 1970 and 1974, were artists such as Sophia Loren, Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Raquel Welch, Brigitte Bardot.
Golden Sands Hotel, which was built by the British Royal Family and was located in Maraş at the time, is said to be the world’s first 7-star hotel …
PUBLIC HAVE BEEN ON MARAŞ STREETS FOR 46 YEARS
There were 4 thousand 469 houses and 143 official offices throughout the city. In addition, nine churches, tombs and cemeteries, and eight schools were among those found in the city.
This region alone provided 53.7 percent of the total income of Cyprus in the tourism sector, especially in 1973.
Closed and abandoned for 46 years, the Closed Maras opened to the public ‘Partially’ on October 8, 2020 and began to receive visitors.
https://cypriumnews.com/2020/10/08/parts-of-turkish-cypriot-town-maras-reopen-46-years-on/
