Cyprus-Forum.com

[halil]

Halil
You pointed out that the TC's cemetry in Upper Lefkara has been vandalised. When was this photo taken? According to friends, the UN ran a project to restore the cemetry a few years ago. I will investiagte further.

Medman ,

If you follow my writings from the begining pictures are taken from 2005-march up to now .That picture was in 2005 . İf you have more information put it here .As i said before after this report published and handed over the UN restorations started both side of the Cyprus .

Medman from below links u can find the UNDP project details about cemeteries .

http://mirror.undp.org/cyprus/cypresstr ... age32.html
http://mirror.undp.org/cyprus/cypresstr ... age30.html
http://mirror.undp.org/cyprus/cypresstr ... age33.html


Project Description

Purpose

Since 1974 (but beginning as early as 1963, when populations began shifting as a result of intercommunal violence), Turkish Cypriot cemeteries in the southern part of the island and Greek Cypriot cemeteries in the northern part have been neglected, damaged or, in some cases, even demolished. For Cypriots now returning to their homes for the first time in 30 years, emotions are running high. For many, it is devastating to find that the burial places of their loved ones are in ruins or have disappeared. For all, the poor state of the cemeteries reinforces the perception that the communities do not respect each other.

Leaders on both sides have indicated that they would appreciate the international community's assistance with this emotionally charged and difficult issue. The Cypress Tree Project Secretariat will facilitate work to protect and/or rehabilitate cemeteries. Success stories will be highly symbolic -- demonstrating that Cypriots are becoming more tolerant of each other -- a step towards appreciating the multicultural nature of their society.

Objectives


Developing an inventory of all known cemeteries, including the status of their current condition;

Engaging the public through an outreach campaign including the opening of a hotline and launching of a website;

Developing project documents/proposals for protecting and/or rehabilitating cemeteries that both the local and international communities can support; and,

Implementing cemetery rehabilitation projects on behalf of local and international donors.


http://mirror.undp.org/cyprus/cypresstr ... page2.html

Administration of Cemeteries

Greek Cypriot Cemeteries

Generally, in larger towns the municipalities and District Offices are responsible for planning, administering and maintaining newer cemeteries. In smaller towns and villages, the Church of Cyprus and the administrative committees of the local churches have been responsible for planning, administering and maintaining cemeteries.

Turkish Cypriot Cemeteries

The Turkish Cypriot cemeteries are planned and administered by EVKAF. Municipalities (both big and small) are responsible only for the physical maintenance.

[samarkeolog]

There’s no place for intrusive Ottoman/Turkic monuments and such, on a 10,000 year old Christian island.

If Ottoman mosques were intrusive on an island that had been Christian for one thousand years, then Orthodox churches were intrusive on an island that had been non-Christian for eight or ten thousand years. Christianity was not a Cypriot invention. Christianity was an immigrant religion, too. For most of its history, Cyprus was neither Muslim nor Christian.

And as for 'uninvited ways', the Ottomans were invited by the Orthodox to get rid of the Latins and free the Orthodox/Orthodox elite (which they did).

[Piratis]

And as for 'uninvited ways', the Ottomans were invited by the Orthodox to get rid of the Latins and free the Orthodox/Orthodox elite (which they did).

That is what they teach you? Along with that the Turkish invasion was "a peace operation to save the poor TCs"? Does that come before or after the "There was no Armenian Genocide"?

[Piratis]

Christianity was not a Cypriot invention. Christianity was an immigrant religion, too. For most of its history, Cyprus was neither Muslim nor Christian.

Maybe you should do what you did to Cyprus to the rest of the Christian countries then? Because Christianity is just 2000 years old while people existed for many 10s of thousands of years.

Cyprus was one of the very first places that Christianity was introduced by the way, did you know this?

Christianity was introduced during the reign of Claudius when the apostle Paul and Barnabus landed in Salamis. They converted the Roman proconsul to Christianity, making Cyprus the first area of Rome to be governed by a Christian.

http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/gree ... Cyprus.htm

I am atheist by the way, but I do respect the history of my island (unlike some others)

[samarkeolog]

Christianity was not a Cypriot invention. Christianity was an immigrant religion, too. For most of its history, Cyprus was neither Muslim nor Christian.

Maybe you should do what you did to Cyprus to the rest of the Christian countries then? Because Christianity is just 2000 years old while people existed for many 10s of thousands of years.

My point was that if Islam is "intrusive", so is Christianity. Neither is.

Cyprus was one of the very first places that Christianity was introduced.

The site where Hala Sultan Tekke was (later) built - the tomb of the maternal aunt of Muhammed - is one of the earliest and most important sites in Islam. Cyprus has always had different communities, different religions, different languages coexisting. All Cypriots are always multicultural. (Similarly, all English/Britons are multicultural as well.)

I am atheist by the way, but I do respect the history of my island (unlike some others)

I am an atheist too, and I respect the history of your island and mine. I respect Christianity, but I also respect Islam.

[Piratis]

My point was that if Islam is "intrusive", so is Christianity. Neither is.

The Turks were intrusive, not Islam. Changing Christian Churches into Muslim Mosques is rather intrusive don't you think?

The site where Hala Sultan Tekke was (later) built - the tomb of the maternal aunt of Muhammed - is one of the earliest and most important sites in Islam. Cyprus has always had different communities, different religions, different languages coexisting. All Cypriots are always multicultural. (Similarly, all English/Britons are multicultural as well.)

I agree.

I am an atheist too, and I respect the history of your island and mine. I respect Christianity, but I also respect Islam.

Agreed.

[samarkeolog]

My point was that if Islam is "intrusive", so is Christianity. Neither is.

The Turks were intrusive, not Islam.

How can you have intruded if you were invited? And they were not "Turks", but Ottomans, a multicultural empire that was administered by "Greeks" (Orthodox Christians), (Apostolic, Catholic, etc.) Armenians, and all of the others.

Changing Christian Churches into Muslim Mosques is rather intrusive don't you think?

Under Ottoman rule, the converted churches were the Latin churches of the previous colonial power. Architectural historian Camille Enlart (1987 [1899]: 77) said that 'the Greeks, left alone with the Turks after 1571, eagerly joined with them in obliterating all traces of the Latin domination'.

Obviously, I'm not defending any destruction, but if/when people condemn the Ottoman conversion/destruction of Latin places, they must condemn Greek Cypriots for it as well.

Enlart, C. 1987 [1899]: Gothic art and the Renaissance in Cyprus. London: Trigraph Limited.

[T_C]

Wasn't Bellapais Abbey also given to the GCs by the Ottomans?

Theres Greek iconography in there, plus Greek writing on the walls also....

[Get Real!]

Wasn't Bellapais Abbey also given to the GCs by the Ottomans?

Theres Greek iconography in there, plus Greek writing on the walls also....

What do you mean by "given"? That's a 13th century Lusignan Abbey! It was there way before any Ottoman arrived...

[samarkeolog]

Wasn't Bellapais Abbey also given to the GCs by the Ottomans?

Theres Greek iconography in there, plus Greek writing on the walls also....

What do you mean by "given"? That's a 13th century Lusignan Abbey! It was there way before any Ottoman arrived...

Presumably he means that it was Lusignan, but became Greek Cypriot, so it was a Catholic church converted into an Orthodox church, so Greek Cypriots/Orthodox converted others' religious sites the same way Turks/Muslims did.