Cyprus-Forum.com

[Nikitas]

A trip to southern Italy should be part of the school curriculum for all Cypriot children. It is enlightening to see and hear how a culture that is in no way proximate to Cyprus, which was never under Turkish influence, has so much in common with Cyprus. Perhaps such a trip might be useful for some Choirokitians too.

[shahmaran]

How can something with no Turkish influence have "so much in common" with something else which has a LOT of Turkish influence?

[shahmaran]

"Don't you ever wonder why you have common dishes with Africa and Arabia when you never really lived there? "

Yes, I do wonder and very often, and then I recall that Alexandria until very recently was home to a half a million Greeks, that there were flourishing Greek communities in Lebanon, Syria, Morocco, and that Greek ships crossed the seas for centuries and probably brought back all kinds of tastes and spices. And at some point one must also wonder how much traffic was the other way round, from the Byzantines to the Arabs and the Africans.

As for the reference to nomads, it was to the likelihood or otherwise of nomadic people to stay still and cultivate the land as do sedentary cultures.

There is a time capsule of sorts, in southern Italy, where Greek culture and language survived intact for 3000 years and it is there that I turn for validation of certain things. I tend to look west rather than east and found the research very rewarding.

And when I get a little more serious about research and try to find some repository of knowledge about the years 1453 to 1821 I resort to libraries in Venice and Vienna, which house plenty of Greek manuscripts of that time. For some reason back then very little writing about culture and science flourished in the Balkans and the Middle East in the native languages of these places.

Considering the fact that Mesopotamia happens to be the real cradle of civilization, it is no surprise that you had to keep bringing stuff back from there.

What is your point?

[Nikitas]

Simple answer is to visit Calabria and Magna Graecia and see how similar it is to Cyprus, even though no Turk has ever set foot in the place. Which raises the question: perhaps Cyprus is Cyprus because of an old, pre Byzantine Greek influence which sets it apart from the mainland as well as apart from Turkey. Or in other words, our differences compared to mainland Greece are not because of Turkey, but because we are Greek plus.

A point of view with which you and GR will disagree, which is why you should take that little trip.

[Nikitas]

Mesopotamia, oh my lord GR has a doppelganger!

[shahmaran]

That does not answer my question Nikitas.

Cyprus is deeply influenced by the Turks, there is no doubt about that.

But Italy is not.

Yet you say we are similar?

What aspects are we talking about exactly?

[kurupetos]

That does not answer my question Nikitas.

Cyprus is deeply influenced by the Turks, there is no doubt about that.

But Italy is not.

Yet you say we are similar?

What aspects are we talking about exactly?

According to Tarih it is.

[lola-tulip]

Cyprus is deeply influenced by the Turks, there is no doubt about that.

In which area have you noticed this "deep influence"?

[shahmaran]

Cyprus is deeply influenced by the Turks, there is no doubt about that.

In which area have you noticed this "deep influence"?

You never had any real autonomy until the Ottomans arrived.

The Orthodox Church meant nothing.

Compared that with now.

That pretty much suffices the "deep influence" in my view.

[halil]

Is that Halloumi? Hellim?

You say 'hellim', we say 'halloumi'

TC's And GC's on this simple matter they didn't find the way to share both name of the product which belongs both community.