supporttheunderdog wrote:DTA wrote:supporttheunderdog wrote:Liberty, Something else you should be aware of is that, for the most part, T/C property in the unoccupied areas has been taken under government guardianship with a right of the T/C's to return to the South and claim it back, under some prescribed conditions. Mosques likewise have been protected. I say for the most part as some land was taken by the Government to, for example, construct the highway (as was GC land) and some taken to construct Larnaca airport, when Nicosia could not be used,
The same cannot be said of the North where in breach of international conventions the property of displaced GC's has been stolen by the occupiers and illegally sold, while Churches have been vandalised, and/or turned into Mosques. .
Further Turkish Cypriots who qualify for citizenship under the 1959 agreements are entitled to a RoC passport , and to Claim other other benefits of Cypriot citizenship,.
Your first post was pretty much unbiased, apart from perhaps mentioning that the TCs were put into enclaves prior to 74, and that entire villages of TCs were wiped out (if this happened to Gcs as well - I am unaware and sorry)- it was a bit more than just inter communal violence and although it was not all one way the GCS (not all, just the EOKA B wankers and their supporters) definitely had a lot more blood on their hands prior to 74.
but your second post is very ill informed/bias there are plenty of examples of mosques been demolished used as barns etc, Turkish Cypriot graveyards been destroyed in the ROC. As for the property issue, let me tell you first hand that the ROCs treatment of TCs with land/property in the south is nothing short of a ILLIGAL - and also immoral especially concerning those TCs that left prior to 74 and therefore have not received what the TRNC call exchange property, (not excusing what the TRNC has done to GC properties in the North) but do not try to excuse the illigal actions of ROC
Yes it was a bit more then a few fisticuffs: I understand the real problems started in 58 when a number of GC were murdered by TMT. After that there was a lot of Tit for Tat.
That should have come to with the 1959 Agreements.
In 1963 there was the GC attempt to subvert the constitution to achieve what was euphemistically called "The national right of self determination", but which was Enosis, despite the 1960 agreement. There was then the Acritas Plan, which Clerides has said was written by Tasos Papadop, and there is reliable evidence of GC atrocities in Nicosia against TC, as widely reported by a number of news papers, and I understand at least 100 T/C and mixed villages were "ethnically cleansed".
There are however also clear indications that the TMT were promoting Fear Uncertainty and Doubt in the TC, and encouraged the enclavement of the TC for the political gain of their Turkish masters - (I read somewhere that Denktash Snr had started TMT but left others, mainly ex-Turkish Army officers, to run it). As we also know those Eoka B wankers (terrorist Scum in my view) also murdered GC and TMT wankers (Also Terrorist Scum) murdered TC- not a nice time for anyone, but I am inclined to agree (and no doubt the usual suspects who are in denial about the GC involvement will tell me I am wrong) that in the period 63 to 74 there was probably a lot more culpability on the part of the GC side, including the refusal to abandon Enosism, and the Greek Junta "Invasion" which gave the Turks the excuse they were waiting for, dressed up as an excuse (and IMHO it was no more than that) to help the T/C.
On your major complaint about the post, I think desecration of Graveyards and Places of worships is despicable, who ever did it. I have otherwise made it clear that, as far as is possible, I want to see all Cypriots, whatever the language they speak, get their property back. I wouldn't argue with the document I posted that highlights scope for improvement by both the legitimate ROC government and the Turkish Occupying authorities.
No it started before 58 despite what pirites says
here is some information for you about Tc homes mosques in the south:
War in Iraq:
2867 Days, 4 hours, 24 minutes.
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SERIES OF ARTICLES SHOWING THE PRESENT CONDITION OF TURKISH CYPRIOT VILLAGES IN SOUTH CYPRUS 1
Following the TRNC Council of Ministers decision on 23 April 2003 to open the borders, the Turkish Cypriot News Agency (TAK) organized visits to former Turkish villages in South Cyprus. Within the framework of these visits, special investigations were carried out in the former Turkish schools, mosques, cemeteries, houses and properties by the Turkish Cypriot journalists.
In the following series of articles, we will convey TAK correspondent Hasan Karaokçu’s observations and feelings of the Turkish Cypriot people who after 29 years found the opportunity to visit their former villages.
Note: Following are the translations of articles completed so far about the villages that have been visited in the south. The translations of articles on the remaining villages in the South will be added once they are completed.
SAKARYA
Turkish name of village : SAKARYA
Old name of village : KUKLA
Present name of village in the map: KOUKLIA
Population according to 1960 census:
TURKISH: 419 GREEK CYPRIOT:622
Turkish population in 1968 : 425
Many Turkish houses in the village of Sakarya were destroyed and razed to the ground. In 1974, Greek Cypriots settled in the Turkish houses, which were in very good condition, but today these houses are in ruins since no repairs have been carried out. House belonging to Nazım CEVDET, was demolished. At Turkish house, which was in very good condition and belonged to Hasan MUHARREM before 1974, now, Greek Cypriots are living and it is in very bad condition.
Turkish houses belonging to Osman TOSUN and Ramadan ALİ FUNDO were demolished and turned into a car park. Surrounding houses are also neglected Turkish houses. In the empty field seen at the villages square, before 1974 there used to be houses belonging to Ahmet TÜCCAR and Mehmet Salih EMİN but now they are all razed to the ground.
KANDU (ÇANAKKALE), CIVILYA (ALSANDIK) AND MALYA (BAGLARBASI)
Within the framework of the visits organized for members of the press by the TRNC Foreign Affairs and Defence Ministry’s Public Information Office to Turkish villages in South Cyprus, on 20 July 2003, a journalist group and a correpondent for the KIBRIS newspaper, visited Kandu (Çanakkale), Civilya (Alsandık) and Malya (Bağlarbaşı) villages in South Cyprus. In the above mentioned Turkish villages, which are attached to Limasol, special investigations were carried out in the former Turkish schools, mosques, cemeteries and houses. During the visits, it was observed that the Turkish school in Kandu (Çanakkale), which is about 15 kilometers west of Limasol and which was totally a Turkish village before 1974, was turned into a Greek Cypriot school, the Turkish cemetery was demolished, and the village’s coffee shop is still running.
Currently, Greek Cypriot refugees from Gazimağusa, Serdarlı and some other villages from the Northern part of the island are living in the village.
Another Turkish village known as Aşağı Civilya (Alsandık) is located 25 kilometers northwest of Limasol. Nobody is living in the village now, where previously 168 Turks used to live before 1974, and all the Turkish houses in the village have been demolished.
In Malya (Bağlarbaşı), where the Turks and Greek Cypriots used to live together before 1974, there are 700 Greek Cypriots living there today and the old Turkish school and mosque are now being used by the Greek Cypriots.
YOLÜSTÜ (KOLONİ)
Turkish name of village : YOLÜSTÜ
Old name of village : KOLONİ
Present name of village in the map: KOLONİ
Population according to 1960 census:
TURKS: 101 GREEK CYPRIOTS: 0
Turkish population in 1968 : 157
Many of the Turkish houses in the village of Yolüstü (Koloni) were demolished and razed to the ground. Houses which were in very good condition in 1974, today, are in very bad condition because no repairs have been carried out. Turkish school in Yolüstü village is in extremely bad condition. The cemetery in the village of Yolüstü has been completely destroyed and no longer exists. Turkish houses in the village of Yolüstü are in ruins and are being used as stables. Greek Cypriots who tried to eliminate the Turkish existence in the village, first destroyed and razed to the ground the Turkish cemetery.
TABANLI (İSTİNCO)
Mehmet Güçlü
Under these conditions, it is impossible return to South Cyprus.
It has been 15 days since I visited my village Instinco (Tabanlı) in South Cyprus. I was so badly affected by the ruins I saw there that, I have still not recovered and because I cannot forget this dreadful sight, last night, I dreamt that I was in my village.
In my dream, my late mother, who was buried in the village, was angrily asking me "why don’t you write that these dirty Greek Cypriots are letting their animals graze on the soil that is on us? The Halassa spring which used to flow just beside us, is no longer flowing. Why don’t you write these?". On the other side, my late grandfather Hasan also turned his blue eyes to me and said "Those bad Greek Cypriots have cut my big walnut trees and loaded them on lorries and taken them away. I saw them. They were the grandchildren of Haralambi, who I used to feed . If you don’t ask for your rights, I will not forgive you". After telling me these words, my grandfather left by gloriously riding away on his white horse.
When I woke up with excitement, I realized that it was only 03:00 a.m. I took a bath and wrote this article. It is difficult to explain the raid that was carried out in my village, but I should try to explain because I promised. Hundreds of walnut trees which were grown by our grandfathers or by our generation were all cut and taken away. Now you can’t even find their traces. Of course, the Greek Cypriots benefited from the timbers of the walnut trees, which are quite expensive. They used these timbers both for carving and making furniture. This was a short way for the Greek Cypriots to make a profit.
Whereas, would it have been so bad for them to benefit from the fruits of those trees and for those trees to still be here today? The walnut tree is the king of all trees and can live more than a hundred year. For a walnut tree to be productive it must be at least 20 years old.
The 25 year old walnut trees in our village were cut down, when they were in their most productive stages and about to bear fruit and all the other plum, almond, citrus and olive trees, which generated huge incomes, dried and died from neglect. The Greek Cypriots did all this intentionally, so that the Turks would not want to return to their former places.
While the Greek Cypriots are planning to return to their former places in the north, on the other hand, they are also trying to acquire Turkish Cypriot properties in the south by buying those properties for extremely low prices. It is so sad that our authorities, who as a result of settling property issues though wrong implementations, have prepared the necessary ground for the Greek Cypriots’ ill intentions. In the implementations carried out, Turkish properties in the south were always given very low scores whereas, Greek Cypriot properties in the north were marked much higher. The scores given for the trees left in the south are unbelievably low. People who don’t have a deep love for trees and who don’t know and appreciate their value cannot perform this duty. From my point of view, the value of trees should be much higher than the value of buildings.
A building can be built in three months or even much earlier, but you need years to grow a tree. In order to bear fruit a tree should be carefully looked after for years and the Greek Cypriots, who cut down our trees in their most productive period, did the worst harm to us. Moreover, those poor people who settled the property issue of the Turkish Cypriot people coming from the south through an ignorant system of marking (giving scores) did an even bigger harm.
Despite all these injustices, it is still impossible to return to the south. I believe that going back means losing our just cause. It is in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus that we have our dignity and honor. We might lose our properties but we still have our honor and dignity.
TURKISH VILLAGES STEP BY STEP IN SOUTH CYPRUS.
- The state of Turkish villages in South Cyprus is devastating.
- Schools, mosques and cemeteries are in ruins since no repairs have been
carried out.
- Turkish houses in some villages are destroyed and razed to the ground.
- The walls of Greek Cypriot school are covered with words of enmity towards
the Turkish Cypriots.
Paphos/Limasol/Larnaca/Nicosia, 23 June 2003
(T.A.K.-HASAN KARAOKÇU)
There are villages over there. They seem close but are very far away... Many years ago, before 1974, these villages were homes for our people, a place to shelter, they gave them food, work, land and water. These are villages, which our people fully embraced and not hesitated to give up their lives for, in order to protect and preserve. People living in those villages paid a very high price just to live there, only because they were Turks... What they only wanted was just to live humanely. They struggled long and hard to gain their basic human right, which was the right to live and they did not deny that the Greek Cypriots had the same rights. However things went wrong. The Turkish people’s rights to live, own property and move were often violated throughout the island. Our people living in the Turkish villages unwillingly left their memories and land and continued their lives in small refugee houses.
The day has came that the Turkish people migrated as a whole for their independence. As it was also approved by the UN, they overcame many difficulties and threats and crossed over the green line and gathered in the Turkish part. After 1974, while migration towards independence was realized under severe conditions and life threatening dangers, it was also realized in accordance with the Population Exchange Agreement.
The Turkish Cypriot people, who willingly joined in the migration towards independence, deep in their hearts felt devoted to the lands where they were born and raised. However, at the same time, they accepted the realities of the situation and acted as the protector of the houses, gardens and trees left behind by the Greek Cypriots in the north, who they saw as the people of the same country with whom they exchanged their properties with. They always believed that the Greek Cypriots would do the same and protect and maintain their former houses and trees.
Elderly people, often told stories to their grandchildren and children about their former houses and the trees from which they used to eat figs, walnuts, grapes and apricots and how they would use the branches to make swings.
These villages, which were full of memories, were never out of their dreams. While experiencing these emotions, they put themselves in the place of the Greek Cypriots, who were the former owners of their present houses, and tried not to cast a shadow over the memories of those people. It is because of this reason that, after 30 years, when the freedom of movement was eased between South Cyprus and the TRNC, following the Turkish side’s initiative, our people gave back to those Greek Cypriots who came to visit them their photographs, jewelers and personal belongings having a sentimental value, which they had saved and kept for all these years.
Mutually shared tears are the most natural show of human feeling.
For our people, who said: "There is a village far away, whether we go or not it is our village", when the doors opened, their former villages which were far away became close. They visited these villages where they could not go before and wanted to see their former houses. They may have believed that, just as they did, someone might have saved and kept their belongings, which was symbolizing their memories and would hand back to them.
"What did they find?... Did they find their memories, belongings, houses or a stone heap replacing their houses?
Moreover, could they reach the cemeteries of their relatives?
In order to find answers to these questions, we set out and visited the Turkish villages left in South Cyprus.
THE JOURNEY -
Armed with our maps, we set out to the Turkish villages in South Cyprus. Despite the difficulties we encountered because of the hot weather, we visited our villages one by one. Taking into account the propaganda carried out by RIK television for many years to the effect that "Turkish houses, schools and places of worship in South Cyprus are under protection and Turkish Cypriots can come and settle", we expected to see beautiful and well kept houses, mosques and cemeteries. But, in every village we visited, we saw that the reality was very different.
When we turned into our villages, especially the ones which were formerly inhabited by Turkish Cypriots, from the beautiful roads connecting Nicosia, Larnaca and Paphos to each other, what we were faced with was not a pleasant sight. We were surprised to see that some of the village roads of the Paphos district in South Cyprus, which was accepted as an EU member, were not covered with asphalt. Despite the fact that our vehicle was suitable for driving in rough terrain, it was difficult to reach Dağaşan (Vretça).
Contrary to the Greek Cypriot administration’s propaganda, the Turkish Cypriot properties in the former Turkish villages, which were left to Greek Cypriot control after 1974, were in an extremely bad condition.
MOSQUES
In particular, a large part of the schools and holy places of worship such as mosques and cemeteries were destroyed and was in ruins due to neglect. The mosques and schools are now homes for the pigeons and dead pigeons are scattered everywhere. Some walls of the mosques, were full of anti-Turkish slogans. In the big districts or villages attached to these districts, the doors and windows of the mosques were painted, closed and locked just to give the impression that they were well kept, but in fact the inside was in ruins.
It was impossible to find out who had the key for these mosques, because if the door were to be opened, it would be obvious that the inside was in ruins. We have observed and witnessed this in many places that we visited.
SCHOOLS
Although some schools in the Turkish villages are still used for teaching purposes, some of them have been turned into churches. We saw some Greek Cypriot families living in single classroom schools. There were also lots of demolished schools which were used as stables or warehouses. All Atatürk busts were destroyed and demolished. We also observed that there are some schools which were razed to the ground.
HOUSES
Most of the former Turkish Cypriot houses in South Cyprus were left to their own fate, destroyed, razed to the ground and demolished. Snakes and pigeons now completely occupy these houses. It is very dangerous to approach and enter these houses. A large majority of the houses in the distant villages are used as animal shelters. While roaming around these houses, which are full of animal faeces, we had to hold our breath because of the bad smell and dead pigeons were scattered everywhere... These houses are the ground for all kinds of diseases and it is not possible to understand how a blind eye has been turned to this situation, which is extremely dangerous for human health and the environment.
CEMETERIES
The state of the cemeteries was not much different. Other than the cemeteries in some of the big districts and villages attached to them, from a humane point of view, the sight of the Turkish cemeteries was dreadful. Most of the cemeteries were destroyed and left to their own fate. It was also possible to be confronted with cemeteries where sheeps and goats roam, where horses were reared and where entrances had been turned into straw houses. We were also confronted with tombstones, which were full of bullet holes and cemeteries full of emty bottles. In one of the villages, we found nothing in the place, which was described to us by a priest as being a cemetery. It was clear that, in time, the cemetery had been demolished, ploughed and turned into arable land. We were also faced with some gipsy families living under inhumane conditions in the former Turkish houses in the distant villages of Paphos, with no electricity or water. They went to South Cyprus, because they could not find their expectations in the north, but they were not pleased and satisfied with their lives in the south either. Naturally, they had good reason to complain a lot about the Greek Cypriot administration.
TRACES OF GREEK CYPRIOT NATIONALISM
We also observed Greek Cypriot nationalism and Turkish enmity in some of the villages we visited. The walls of a former Turkish coffee shop, which is now run by a Greek Cypriot were covered with photographs of EOKA Terrorist Organization Leader Grivas and his friends. In another coffee shop, where a calendar published by a fundamental nationalist organization was hung, only the Greek flag was displayed not the flag of the Cyprus Republic. This atmosphere was also reflected in the face of the elderly Greek Cypriot woman who was running the coffee shop. Traces of nationalism could also be seen on the walls of primary schools. Maps drawn on the school walls of a divided Cyprus, it was written: "I don’t forget; Cyprus, Struggle, Freedom, Returning Back; Take the Turks out of our Houses".
VILLAGES IN PAPHOS
In this section of our history, we will talk about the situation of the former Turkish villages in Paphos.
On June 11, we set off for Paphos under the guidance of our guide İbrahim Tezkan, who knows the region very well. Following our days long hard work, we managed to reach Yeşilova (Mondria), Ovalık (Timi), Aydoğan (Stavrogonno), Kukla and Kavaklı (Ayios Georgios).
YEŞİLOVA (MANDİRYA)
Our first visit was to Yeşilova (Mandirya) village, which is located 13 km southeast of Paphos. At Yeşilova, which used to be one of the biggest villages before 1974, a large majority of the former Turkish houses are now being used by Greek Cypriots and those which are not being used are demolished.
When we visited the mosque, we saw that the door was closed and locked. The outside surface of the mosque had not been painted for years. Various objects were scattered around. The windows were broken. Pigeons were flying inside. Everywhere was full of pigeon faeces. The pulpit of the mosque was about to break. In order to enter inside, we asked the Greek Cypriot villagers who had the key, but we could not get an answer and were forced to take photographs from the broken window.
When we visited the primary school we learnt that the school was being used by Greek Cypriot students. It was well kept. On the school wall there was a map of a divided Cyprus and in capital letters it was written "WE DON’T FORGET".
The cinema belonging to Cici Buba is now used as a potatoes storehouse and a Greek Cypriot family is living in the entrance.
Lastly, we visited the cemetery. The Turkish cemetery at the village’s exit was very neglected and it was obvious that throughout the years no repairs had been carried out. Historical tombstones with epigraphs remaining from the Ottoman times were just scattered around. The mosaics of some of the tombs were broken and because of neglect many graves were lost amongst the overgrown weeds and thorns.
The grave of Martyr Derviş Ahmet Raşit, who died on 22 July 1974, was in a better situation most probably because it was visited and cleaned by his family. The cemetery’s entrance gate had been destroyed and surrounding walls and wires no longer existed.
OVALIK (DİMİ)
We are in the Ovalık village of Paphos, which is 11 kms away and which used to be inhabited by both Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots before 1974.
Generally, Ovalık village is well kept and clean. When we look from the outside, the mosque in the village which has a historical value is well kept and restored. The door was locked so we couldn’t see inside.
However, our attention was drawn to one thing. In the southern part of the mosque’s garden there was a small place for Greek Cypriots to vow (pledge to a God or saint). In the place where the vow was, which was made out of stone, oil vows which had been recently lit were continuing to burn. I couldn’t understand the logic of having a Greek Cypriot place of vow in a Turkish mosque. The village’s primary school was next to the mosque and was well kept since it was being used as a nursery.
When we approached the Turkish houses, where today nobody lives we saw that they were all neglected and was in ruins. The furniture inside the houses was destroyed, demolished and scattered around. Most of the Turkish houses were in a similar condition.
The cemetery in the village of Ovalık was also left to its own destiny. There we saw lots of scattered tombstones with epigraphs from the Ottoman period.
SAKARYA (KUKLA)
We are in Sakarya (Kukla) village, which is 16.5 km east of Paphos and where previously Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots used to live together.
The doors and windows of Sakarya village’s mosque were closed and locked. Weeds and thorns were overgrown in the garden. A large majority of the garden’s surrounding walls no longer existed. Just like the situation in most of the other villages, we could not learn who had the key to the mosque. We learnt that the prefabricated house, opposite the mosque, was used by Turkish fighters as their headquarters before 1974 and that now a Greek Cypriot family was living there.
When we visited the former Turkish houses, the doors and windows of all the houses, which were surrounded with overgrown weeds and thorns, were broken and taken away. Inside the houses, there was no furniture. It was impossible to enter some of the houses, which were being used as animal stables because of the bad smell. We were also confronted with lots of houses which were either completely demolished or about to be demolished.
The Turkish primary school was used as a Greek Cypriot school and was well kept.
The surrounding walls of the Turkish cemetery in the village no longer existed and inside was neglected. Most of the graves were razed to the ground because no repairs had been carried out. We were also faced with traces of Turkish enmity on some of the tombstones.
Photographs that were on the tombstones of brothers Ferzan Musa and Musa M. Çavuş were destroyed by using a hard tool, and it was impossible for us to identify whom the tomb stone with three bullet holes belonged to.
KAVAKLI (AY YORGİ)
We were in Kavaklı (Ay Yorgi) which is located 20 kilometers east of Paphos, and which used to be only inhabited by Turkish Cypriots before 1974.
As it was the case in other villages, the mosque in the Kavaklı village was also neglected, windows were broken and there were overgrown weeds and thorns everywhere. When we entered inside, we were confronted with a terrifying sight. The mosque’s pulpit and all the furniture was demolished. The wooden stair case leading up to the area where the women worshiped was brutally broken. Some of the houses in the village, had been allocated to the Greek Cypriots.
Because the former Turkish Cypriot primary school had been turned into a Greek Cypriot primary school, it was well kept. In the place, which was described to us as being the village’s cemetery, there was no evidence at all to indicate that it was once a cemetery.
AYDOĞAN (STAVROGONNO)
We were 26 kilometers east of Paphos at Aydoğan (Stravrogonno) village, which was only inhabited by Turkish Cypriots before 1974.
This was our guide İbrahim Tezkan’s former village. On entering the village, Tezkan, who is now 72 years old, was very excited. He was like a happy child. When we get out of the car, he immediately set out to find his former house, but he was very disappointed to see that his house too had been razed to the ground. Tezkan who said: “Our house was 40 meter squares, but it is now completely demolished", was further astonished on seeing that the other Turkish houses were also razed to the ground.
When we found the mosque of the village, we could not enter inside because the door was locked. On looking through the broken windows, we didn’t see anything different from what we saw at the places of worship in other areas, namely pigeon nests, faeces and destroyed furniture.
At the village, were confronted with two bells hanging in front of the Aydoğan primary school, and learnt that the school had been turned into a church. The door was closed and it was well kept. The building just next to the school and which used to be a sports club or culture center was in a very bad condition. Doors and windows were broken and all the furniture was vandalized.
We visited the village’s cemetery and saw that it too was neglected. Most of the graves had been demolished or razed to the ground because no repairs had been carried out through many years of neglect.
AKTEPE (ASPROYA)
We were 35 kilometres east of Paphos in a mountainous land called Aktepe (Asproya) village, where a large majority of former houses were Turkish owned. Former Turkish houses which were left by the Turks because of the Greek Cypriot attacks were all now completely demolished and had been turned into a green belt area.
The Turkish mosque at the entrance of the village, which had small minaret, was also locked. From the outside, the building looked as if it had been well kept, whereas in fact windows had not been painted for years and were all broken. It was impossible to see the inside of the mosque. The garden and its surroundings, were also neglected.
Aktepe primary school, which was located just opposite the mosque, was restored and painted and was being used as a house. A large majority of the former Turkish houses were demolished or turned into a green belt area. An old stone house, which was not demolished was in a very bad condition.
SOĞUCAK (MAMUNDALİ)
When we set out from Aktepe towards the east we reached Soğucak (Mamundali) village. The village was established by a shepherd called Mahmut Ali 350 years ago and was a solely Turkish Cypriot village. In 1964, Turkish Cypriots living in the village were forced to leave the village as a result of the Greek Cypriot attacks.
Prefabricated houses were built for people living in Soğucak village when their houses were completely demolished in the 1953 earthquake. The prefabricated houses, where the Turkish Cypriots used to live until 1963 are now in a very bad condition. Greek Cypriots, who came and built houses on Turkish Cypriot land turned these Turkish houses into ruins by looting the doors and windows. The furniture was destroyed many years ago. The inside of the houses, which is now being used as a straw house or animal shelter, was full of faeces, pigeon nests or snakes. Surroundings were covered with overgrown weeds and thorns and was an environmental hazard full of litter.
Today, in the village of Soğucak, which was once inhabited by Turkish Cypriots, all traces of Turkish existence such as the mosque, school or cemetery have been totally wiped out.
DAĞAŞAN (UREÇÇA)
Following our visit to Soğucak we arrived at Dağaşan (Uretçça), which is located 43 kilometers northwest of Paphos and was once solely a Turkish village.
It was not easy to reach Dağaşan because of the dirt roads. Following Koilineia, which was the last Greek Cypriot village we passed by, we were confronted with a graveled road and had to drive very slowly.
There, we were also confronted with a neglected and ruined Turkish village. It was impossible to find single normal house which was not demolished. We wanted to think that houses were demolished in time, because of environmental conditions, however, houses even made from stone were also demolished with bulldozers. The situation in the village was as if it had just come out of a war. We could not even decide which house we should photograph.
The inside of the houses were full of animal faeces. Doors and windows were all broken and looted. As we advanced in the village we were faced with a two storey official building. There were two rooms on the first floor and a big room on the second floor. On the plate hung above the door, it was written "Marriage Registrars Office", and the sign was full of bullet holes. We could hardly read what was written because of the bullet holes. Everywhere was completely covered with overgrown weeds, thorns and litter and we had to struggle to enter the house from the back door. When we entered the room, which was written on it "Marriage Registers Office" it was full of different objects and barrels and our attention was drawn to a cabinet. We thought there might be documents in it belonging to Turks; however we could not find anything. Even, the doors and the marble floor tiles on the second floor were ripped out.
The building was about to fall down and we could easily feel this while we were walking around it.
When we reached the village square, we saw a mosque with a minaret on our right hand side, a building which used to be a sports club on our left hand side and a place where there used to be an Atatürk bust. Contrary to Atatürk busts in other villages, not only the bust had been ripped out, but the floor and concrete ground where the bust was standing had been destroyed and demolished as well. We could not enter into the building which was used as a sports club because the door was closed, but this building was also in an extremely bad condition.
When we approached the mosque, we saw that the minaret was full of bullet holes. The surrounding walls, door and windows had been recently painted. As was the case in every village we could not find who had the key for the mosque. Therefore, we could not enter inside.
When we found the village’s primary school we saw that the door, windows, and roof of the school were all broken. Inside was full of animal faeces. The school, which was once a place for education, is now a shelter for animals.
Later, we met with Sabiha Yenigüç and her family, who came from the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus to the village to see her house. Sabiha Yenigüç was sitting with tearful eyes outside the door of her former house, which too was in ruins. The present condition of the house, where she had spent the best years of her life, had made her very sad. Sabiha Yenigüç complained that the Greek Cypriots destroyed her house and dried up her garden and trees. Her son, Cengiz Topel Yenigüç, who visited the village for the first time after 1974, also expressed his sadness at the present state of the village.
Yenigüç, stressed that, as well as the houses being demolished, the destruction of the school, Atatürk bust and other official places was an inhumane act.
When we advanced to the village cemetery, we were faced with a similar situation which was not different from what we saw in the other villages. All the graves had been destroyed and demolished and most of them were razed to the ground because no repairs had been carried out.
We left Dağaşan with these observations.
