Cyprus-Forum.com

[insan]

VRETÇA (DAĞAŞAN)

"I WOULD LIKE TO LIVE IN MY VILLAGE AGAIN".

The General Secretary of the United Cyprus Party, Özker Özgür, stated that he likes his village, Vretça, where he was born and raised very much and would one day like to live there again if it is restored to its former position and opened for settlement.

Memories are like a time tunnel which take people back to the past and whatever the bitter experiences may be, everyone has the desire to enter this tunnel and walk on that thin bridge connecting the past to the present.

The General Secretary of the United Cyprus Party, Özker Özgür, who was born in the village of Vretça, shared with us his memories.

Dağaşan (Vretça) village, just like its name is located in between the mountains and due to its geographical position was difficult to reach.

Before 1974, in the village, which is located on the slope of the Trodos mountains, only 500 Turkish Cypriot people used to live there. Özgür, stating that after 1974, Greek Cypriots who migrated to the South from the North did not prefer to settle there, pointing to the conditions brought about by daily life said: "Greek Cypriots did not settle in our village not because it was a Turkish village, but because it was too far from the center and just as is the case in other Greek Cypriot villages, the young people preferred to migrate to more developed, bigger places where there were work opportunities".

"GREEK CYPRIOTS ARE WEAKENING THEIR OWN POLICY"

Özker Özgür, who visited his former village, stated that the village was in ruins, nobody was living there, it was deserted and resembled a ghost town.

Özker Özgür, referring to the Greek Cypriot’s propaganda to the world, to the effect that: "We place great importance on religious places and show respect, but the Turks are not like us", stressed that with these realities, the Greek Cypriots have weakened their own policies.

Pointing out that the village was full of his childhood memories Özgür said, the Cyprus problem forced people to leave their territories and houses and neither the policy of partition nor Enosis was of any good. Özgür said: "Before, on the village wall, it was written partition, volkan and we were told either partition or death, whereas now there has been partition and we have died also."

Özgür, pointing out that after 1974 he visited the South in 1990, upon an invitation from an association, drew attention to one point by saying: "In the village, while the school and houses were demolished, because no repairs had been carried out, the mosque was in quite good condition and well kempt, whereas the mosques in big cities were all demolished and in their places car parks were built. There is a contradiction here. Greek Cypriots are behaving politically".

TEARFUL MEMORIES

On remembering his childhood memories with tearful eyes, Özgür said: "I was a thin and lean child. Our school was very far and every time I went to school, I used to fall down. I always had a wound on my left knee which never healed. One day, we went to pick mushrooms and I fell down. My father took me to the orthopedic and it was a very painful experience which I will never forget. We were all together, about 40-50 children at the school and had two teachers. In winter, everyone would take some wood from their houses to school to keep warm." Özgür comparing the present condition of Dağaşan with its past condition, pointed out that he was upset and missed the old days.

Özgür said; "I like Dağaşan and in the event of it being restored to its former position and opened for settlement, I would one day like to live again there".

http://www.trncinfo.com/TANITMADAIRESI/ ... nglish.htm

[Get Real!]

If Vretça is "Vretsia" I think it's abandoned... I drove through it a month or two ago! It's close to the Venetian bridges.

[halil]

If Vretça is "Vretsia" I think it's abandoned... I drove through it a month or two ago! It's close to the Venetian bridges.

Özgür said; "I like Dağaşan and in the event of it being restored to its former position and opened for settlement, I would one day like to live again there".

he didn't get chance to see it .

[Nikitas]

Ozgur was also honest and forthright about settlers and the policy which brigns them to Cyprus. He was one fine Cypriot, there are not many like him left.

[Tim Drayton]

Özker Özgür passed away on 22 November 2005, so he never got his wish to live in his own village again.

Here is his obituary in the Guardian:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/2006/jan ... obituaries

[Jimski999]

It is very sad that Mr Ozgur never achieved his dream of returning to live in the village of his childhood; this fate has happened to too many Cypriots no matter what their ethnicity.

In his reflections he was stating about Mosques being knocked down and car parks being built in their place; was there more than one Mosque in the centre of Paphos? I have visited one Mosque which is by the Turkish quarter in the old town. There was restoration work going on when we visited so at least some one is trying to look after the building. The street names in the old quarter are still in both Turkish and Greek.

[halil]

It is very sad that Mr Ozgur never achieved his dream of returning to live in the village of his childhood; this fate has happened to too many Cypriots no matter what their ethnicity.

In his reflections he was stating about Mosques being knocked down and car parks being built in their place; was there more than one Mosque in the centre of Paphos? I have visited one Mosque which is by the Turkish quarter in the old town. There was restoration work going on when we visited so at least some one is trying to look after the building. The street names in the old quarter are still in both Turkish and Greek.

Mr Özgür was one of the villages of Paphos(Baf). His village was one of the destroyed Turkish Cypriots village in South Cyprus. totally 26 Turkish Cypriots villages are destroyed in South Cyprus.

Turkish Cypriots called his village Vretça or Dağaşan .His village was 43 km northwest of Paphos(Baf). The village which was recorded as ''Kritca'' in old Lusinian records as well.It is the last village on boarders of the capital city of nicosia.Paphos state forest is to the east of the village to north is the GC village Panaya ,to the west of on a 1000 meter hill is the Hrisoroyatissa Monastery and to south is the GC village Cilinya.

Villagers used to grew apples,pears,walnuts,almonds,grapes and cerals along with sheep and goat breeding.This village had a mosque with minaret ,community center,club and a historical Matrimonial office.The ''Venetion Bridge'' has survived the test of time.According to 1946 Census,there were 391 TC people living in the village which decreased to 386 by 1960,then increased to 500 by 1974 records.

The village is also known for the Cemal Mida Legend.

Current Condition of the village.

TC's left the village in 1975. And it is the most damaged villages of the Paphos region.Many places of the village including the mosque,minaret,community center,club and historical matrimonial office have been heavly damaged by gun shot.The scool of the village was destroyed and plundered.The village was destroyed and plundered.The village which is in ruins is faced with complete destruction .


Mr Özgür was my English Teacher in Technical school in Nicosia .

Have a good rest in your grave .

Hopefully one day we will have a peace in Cyprus.

[zan]

Ozgur was also honest and forthright about settlers and the policy which brigns them to Cyprus. He was one fine Cypriot, there are not many like him left.

Don't be so modest.....You have your own who goes by the name of Tony Angastiniotis but I do not hear you boasting about his fair play and comments on GC behaviour in the past.....

[Jimski999]

Halil
I believe this was the village I drove through several years ago when I was coming back from Panaya; it was abandoned and most of the houses had fell in on themselves. At the time I wasn't aware it was a Turkish Cypriot village and it was only later that friends told me that as you say the villagers left for the North.

[cymart]

All together in one village or have they been split-up?What about some other former T.C. villages in the area such as Falia,Mamoundali,Lapithiou and Asproyia?Does anyone know about Pitargou?-and maybe Kucuksu(Moro Nero)