Cyprus-Forum.com

[halil]

Erasing The Past

areserch has been conducted by the TRNC president!s office ion Turkish Cypriot cultural heritage on the territory under the control of greek Cypriot Adminstration.139 settlements had been visited under the adminstrative discricts of Southern Nicosia , Paphos ,Limassol and Larnaka during august 2005-march 2008.The total number of region visited in 4 adminsrative districts is 171.

A book has been prepared ,which consist of TC cultural heritage only in 69 settlements of 4 administrative discricts listed .Accordingly 11 settlement in S.Nicosia ,26 in Paphos ,18 in Limassol,14 in Larnaka have been covered.the information and statics given in the book reflect the current condition of many cultural heritage sites in 171 regions classified as mosques, cemeteries ,houses , school buildings ,Turkish baths , hospitals ,castles , tekkes and ancient mausoleums ,small mosques, fountains ,bazaars and cinemas .

Prepared book and CD's are given to all the Diplomats and countries representatives , UN and EU and other foreign countries .

After the book published resteration of Arnavut Mosque in Limassol is started.

here is the some pictures of ..... places
Aretyu (Arechio) the school and Mosque area.
have been totally demolished and have been razed.




more pictures and information will come .................

[halil]

Cultural Assets Are Our Riches.

The island of Cyprus has been a host to various civilizations throughout history and witnessed the development of various cultures,different beliefs and traditions leaving behind their traces throughout ages.

The various hegemony's which have dominated our island for certain periods in history ,have made island of Cyprus culturally rich by leaving behind their cultural assets.Among these riches ,the contributions of both the people living on the island and all other communities to the development of our cultural heritage have a great importance at the present time.

All cultural assets which exist both in TRNC and south Cyprus are part of our culture of the people of this island and this multi-cultural ism is our riches.İn this context ,we give a big importance to the protection of all places of worship and ancient monuments and have a positive point of view for the bi-communal and/or international projects related to this issue.

Both in the North and South Cyprus there are places of worship which need be protected and perpetuated .This work only constitutes a minor portion of the Turkish monuments including the mosques ,Turkish bathes,tombs, fountains ,cemeteries and ancient monuments that have all been left behind in the Greek Cypriot side.The purpose of this work is to draw attention to the rough handling ,neglection and even the destruction of these Turkish cultural Assets either by leaving them idle or destroying them consciensiously which has been the case in the Greek cypriot side.

Our aim is not ,however ,to forum a policy that would serve to the permanency of a deadlock.

our wish is to merely protect and keep alive all cultural assets are in need of care.As the Turkish Cypriot side ,we have been making extreme effort and have support all sincere efforts to make this possible.

Please accept my deepest regards.

Mehmet Ali Talat
President Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

[halil]

Arpalık (Ayios Sozomeos) : The Mosque belongs to the ottoman perid and the cemetery next to it has been razed .

below picture shows the Mosque and Cemetery area.



Aşağı Deftera (Lower Deftera):

Mosque ,School and cemetery ,which were built before 1882 have been totally demolished .The place where the mosque was located is now used as a parking area . see below picture.



below picture is from cemetery area

[Oracle]

In 649 A.D. Cyprus experienced the first attempt by the Arabs to convert the Island to Islam. Leader of the expedition was the historic Khalif Mowavia, who later besieged Constantinopole for 7 years. Mowavia landed in Larnaca with a grand army and with strong naval support. With him, following her husband was Um Haram, an apostle of Islam, close collaborator to Mohamed himself. This holy and important woman for early Islam died by accident on the shores of the Larnaca salt lake and the Grant Khalif ordered the construction of a Mosque at the spot of her death. The original Arab Mosque, which mainly comprises the tomb of Um Haram exist until today within the greater Teke that was later constructed by the Ottomans. The tomb of Um Haram is until today the only Arab monument surviving on the Island and the only Mosque that was constructed to be a Mosque from the beginning, while all other Mosques in Cyprus have been previously Christian Churches turned to Mosques in the Ottoman period.

Source: Monumenta

[halil]

All the time in this forum it has been shown that Turkish army destroyed everything in the Cyprus .....

Turkish army never been in Southern part of the Cyprus coming pictures needs answers who destroyed or demolished them ..... lots of houses also razed down in southern part of the Cyprus ... later on those villages pictures will come .....

how this can be explain to Turkish Cypriots .

Ok ...there is a occupying army in north ....Whats happened in south .....?????


Denya (Denia) . Mosque has bas been razed .now it is in a ruined area.

below picture shows Denia (Denya) Mosque !!!!!



Below pictures are from Denya Cemetery area has been totally demolished.

[Piratis]

The only thing that happened to some of those places is that they were abandoned by you because you wanted to steal our land in north Cyprus and go live there instead. Still, all the major Muslim monuments have been preserved in the Republic of Cyprus.

Compare this with what Turks have done in the occupied areas:

They forced the native Cypriot population to leave from their towns and villages and then they intentionally destroyed almost everything Greek and Christian they could find, changed the names of our towns and villages to Turkish ones and they did and continue to do everything possible to erase from north Cyprus everything that proves that this part of Cyprus, like every other, is the homeland of Greek Cypriots for 1000s of years.

Yet another case where the Turks commit the crime, and then they come to blame us! Like when they invaded Cyprus multiple times, killing 1000s of Cypriots, and then they come here to complain because some 100s of their kind have also been killed in the conflicts which they started against us!

[Piratis]

Halil, any proof that the empty plots you show are what you claim they are?

Here are some images from the occupied Cyprus:

[Piratis]

The continuous destruction of Cyprus’ culture heritage in the northern Turkish military controlled and occupied areas is the focus of two articles in prestigious reviews, one presenting news from the Roman Catholic Church and the other issued by the Onassis Foundation.

In the monthly “30Days in the church and in the world” journal, of former Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti published in six languages, Italian journalist Giovanni Ricciardi presents a chronicle of the 1974 Turkish military invasion in the Republic of Cyprus and its repercussions up to the recent past.

The largest part of the report describes the condition of Christian churches in occupied Cyprus and the destruction of other important cultural heritage sites. The article refers to a registration programme underway at the Museum of the Holy Monastery of Kykkos under Charalambos Chotzakoglou, Professor of History of Byzantine Art at the University of Athens, to illegal trafficking of antiquities and efforts to repatriate Cypriot treasures.

Ricciardi also notes the destruction of non-Orthodox churches in the occupied areas, belonging to Maronites, Armenians and Catholics and stresses that if Turkey wants to join the European Union, it has to allow the repair and restoration of holy sites as a gesture of goodwill.

The Scholarship Association of the Onassis Foundation magazine “Alpha Omega - ΑΩ”, distributed to thousands of academics worldwide, refers to a lecture by Chotzakoglou, at the Foundation.

The Greek professor presented the results of the registration programme of Christian churches in the occupied areas and using photographic material, it chronicles the registration of the Christian monuments, the improper use of the churches and their conversion into barns, mosques and hotels.

It stresses the religious dimension of the issue, saying that the victims of this cultural destruction are not only Greek Orthodox churches in Cyprus but also churches at the Jerusalem Partiarchate, Mount Sinai and the Roman Catholic church, as well as churches belonging to Maronites and Armenians. Furthermore, he refers to efforts to make the issue known worldwide, organise photo exhibitions and publish a special edition with the help of Cyprus government departments and Euro MPs.

According to church records, about 500 churches have been destroyed or pillaged. The Church has already recovered, through a lengthy legal battle in the USA, priceless frescoes that were stolen from the occupied areas. Other efforts are underway to repatriate various religious relics.

[Piratis]

more ...

[halil]

Excuses , excuses Turkish Cypriots they don't understand your arguments ....what they discovered after the opening of the gates between two sides all thet are properties demobileshed ,destroyed and looted .... how they can return back to their homes or places .... at north they built up houses , planted trees , built up roads .... etc ...etc .....
even you can not recongnised your place when u see it . what they says anything belongs to them destroyed by you ..... Come on tell again Turkish army destroyed them ....


Dizdarköy (Nisou):

Mosque and cemetery







Esendağ (Upper Flasou).

Mosque ,school and the cemetery have been totally demolished and razed .

below pictures are from their area.