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[T_C]

Nikitas I wouldn't have a clue on how old it is

[Jerry]

Great post, one of the best on this forum.

Found the details of architecture and everyday work tools fantastic. The men sawing the log with those push pull saws was a revelation. The architectural details are interesting too. Seems that the houses with adobe bricks are from lowland villages, whereas she stone houses are from higher elevations. Head dress would date the pics from the days before hats became fashionable, or affordable. On the whole we see how poor our ancestors were. We have come a long way since then!

Nikitas

The men sawing logs reminded me of something my father told me. His brother was the village carpenter so he had to cut up trees into planks etc as in the picture. Apparently one of them used to stand on the flat roof of the house and the other below sawing wood. The reason they did this was because the saw was heavy but gravity helped the downward cutting stroke, the person below (usually my father) used to get a face full of sawdust. He said some of the trees came from Turkey, I thought he meant imported via Famagusta but in fact it was driftwood they hauled over from the beach.

[Nikitas]

Jerry,

Interesting insight re the carpentry work in the old days. Some years ago I asked a boat builder on the island of Kea here in Greece how they made planks from raw logs. He gave me a description similar to yours. One additiona detail- how they got saw blades for these long saws? They used the steel bands on wooden barrels, cut the teeth with files and made them into saws. Talk about necessity being the mother of invention!

[iceman]

Great post, one of the best on this forum.

Found the details of architecture and everyday work tools fantastic. The men sawing the log with those push pull saws was a revelation. The architectural details are interesting too. Seems that the houses with adobe bricks are from lowland villages, whereas she stone houses are from higher elevations. Head dress would date the pics from the days before hats became fashionable, or affordable. On the whole we see how poor our ancestors were. We have come a long way since then!

Nikitas

Nikitas, yes we have come a long way and may I add that the arrival of the Armenian refugees in the early 1900s was one of the main reasons of the turnaround. And I am not just saying that because I am of Armenian background.

These excellent photos are by Heigaz Mangoian (Armenian photographer)
These photos are ascanned from a book ı had purchsed from Athens...really excellent artwork by the master mangoian..
I have plenty more and will post when i have more time

[kafenes]

Iceman, great pics. I have seen some old postcards with Magoian pictures. He really was a great artist. More please, whenever you can.

[Nikitas]

Iceman,

The first pic of the Mongoian series you posted is fascinating!

Notice that the boat in the foreground bears the name Jeanette, unusual for Cyprus in what looks like the 1940s!

Also see how it is being sailed with a lateen sail in the harbor! This kind of sailing requires seamanship we unfortunately no longer possess in this age of outboard motors. And look at the sailing yacht on the left, some lucky sod who had the money to cruise the Med before it became a tourist "paradise"! Details!

[kafenes]

Kafenes,

Thank you for the offer.Yes definitely need info, how the deisgn originated, and in which parts of Cyprus it is most popular. How did your friend learn stone masonry? It is hard work, the man must have a real passion for architecture!

My grandfather was the engineer in his village, everyone called him Mastro, so the entrance to his house was stone, but the remainder was adobe brick with stucco covering. This mix of stone for the entrance and adobe for the rest was (my guess) a way of economising yet achieving a respectable looking house. Any info on these points would be welcome. I am guessing that they would interest the others in the forum. It is not all politics I hope!

Off the top of my head, I remember while driving through villages with friend he told me the TC buildings had a pointed arch while the GC ones were rounded at the top, with a top centre piece called a 'sfina'.

[Nikitas]

Kafenes,

A sfina, what in English they call a keystone, the stone that locks the arch. Interesting info that there would be a preferred way to build arches within each community. I am no architect, but the subject fascinates me.

I guess you are also an amateur. It is intriguing to see how the old timers, without degrees in architecture etc, managed to build houses that had the right solar orientation, proportions etc, and how they blend in with their surroundings. No modern architect seems to match that ability. For that reason I intend, if I ever get it together, to use a caravan for a holiday home. At least that way I will not be offending the environment with an alien building, it will be a light footprint on the soil that can easily be removed. I would rather spend the money on the landscaping instead!

[anastasiaC]

Great pics!!!! love seeing the old stuff!

[Nikitas]

To all here,

The village of Limnia near Agios Sergios, north of Famagusta was a famed horse breeding area in Cyprus. Does anyone have pictures of horses from there? It would be interesting to see the kind of horse bred in Cyprus before the advent of the car and truck.

Nikitas