Famagusta & Varosha

The highlight of our excursion was to visit Varosha. But first Famagusta, the walled city situated in the Turkish occupied territories.

The old Cathedral of Saint Nicolas, now the Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque

Part of the Venetian Palace ruins...

...and part of the medieval Church of Saints Peter & Paul.

We also found a little bistro with a couple of drinks...

...and a very persistent cat, hinting at being fed!

Varosha is an area of Famagusta and is now sometimes know as a ghost town.

Rather than go into details here, browse through this link: https://www.cwu.edu.tr/famagustas-ghost-town-varosha/

There are safety signs everywhere...

...warning you to keep away.

Varosha was a bustling town until 1974...

...so over 50 years of dereliction...

...this crane still standing.

There aren't many takers at the King George Hotel...

...or the White Horse Inn.

The seafront with its many high-rise apartments & hotels, now abandoned.

Although not a particularly good read (in my opinion) Victoria Hislop's 'The Sunrise' really sets the scene when the Turkish took over the area, and families were forced to leave.