Cyprus-Forum.com

[fanourıo]

They will apply to get their land back... If they dont apply do you expect anybody to return it to them just like that? and the procedure to buy land in the North does not resemble that of buying land as a foreigner. Read the post carefully... Greek Cypriots can buy land in the North TAX FREE. They can not do that even in the SOUTH...So Greek Cypriots are more than welcome in the North, I already started livong and working in the North...

[humanist]

Then the other problem begins, how can i ensure the land I buy does not belong to a refugee? what is 1 dodum which is the number mentioned by someone else.

BTW I would like to think that we live in a world that someone would say, here I believe you should have your land back. And for every person who does that the RoC ought to give them accommodation, ie in the refugee estates.

[fanourıo]

1 donum = 100 X 100 mtrs. There are official Title deeds which must be produced to you before you buy. The seller either must be a Turkish Cypriot selling his own land with pre 1974 titles of ROC or a Greek Cypriot with ROC title. I have land for sale like that...

[fanourıo]

sorry i donum = 1000 m2
English translation:dunam or donum
dönüm sözcüğü Amerikan İngilizcesi sözlüklerinde 'donum' İngiliz İngilizcesi sözlüklerinde ise "dunam" olarak mevcut.



* Merriam Webster's Unabridged Dictionary

donum
Etymology: Turkish dönüm, literally, turn
: a land measure used in regions included in the former Ottoman Empire and of varying size but usually less than one acre



* The World Book Dictionary

donum: n. a unit of land measurement in Turkey, Yugoslavia, and certain countries of the Near East [< Turkish dönüm]



* The New Oxford Dictionary of English

dunam:
noun- a measure of land area used in parts of the former Turkish empire, including Israel (where it is equal to about 900 square metres).
—ORIGIN from modern Hebrew dûnam or Arabic dunum, from Turkish dönüm, from dönmek 'go round'.



* Shorter Oxford English Dictionary

dunam, noun
[mod. Hebrew dûnam, Arab. dünum from Ottoman Turkish dünum, Turkish dönüm, from dönmek go round.]
A variable measure of land used in the Ottoman Empire and its successor States, including Israel (where it is equal to about 900 sq. metres).
By the end of the Mandate, the total land area under cultivation by Palestinian farmers (excluding citrus) was 5,484,700 dunams (one dunam = one thousand square meter), and the area cultivated by Jewish farmers was 425,450 dunams.


http://www.publications.parliament.uk/p ... select/c...
Despite State party\'s obligation under article 11 of the Covenant, the Government of Israel continues to expropriate Palestinian lands and resources for the expansion of Israeli settlements. Thousands of dunams (1 dunam equals 1,000 square meters) of land in the West Bank have recently been confiscated to build 20 new bypass roads which cut the West Bank towns off from outlying villages and farmlands.



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Note added at 1 hr 48 mins (2005-07-18 21:40:47 GMT)
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http://www.fao.org/documents/show_cdr.a ... DOCREP/0...
Meanwhile, the average size of farms remained almost stable at 85 donums (8.5 hectares), but the cultivation has been generally intensified, as the share of non-cultivated land in agricultural holdings decreased from 6.5 percent to 1.1 percent.

http://www.un.org/esa/agenda21/natlinfo ... /natur.h...
MAW established 24 enclosures, each with an area ranging between 250 donums and 87,000 donums.

[humanist]

Where's the land u got? hence the Israeli dude managed to get 9 or so acres?

[fanour&#305;o]

I have land enough to build a hotel in Karpass peninsula 35 minutes from Famagusta/Magusa 25 minutes to Cape Apostolos Andreas. On the North Beach.... The Israeili bought land near Kyrenia/Girne I think....

[fanour&#305;o]

North Cyprus is one of the most attractive places in the Mediterranean, but because of its troubled history and political isolation, it has remained largely unaffected by mass tourism.

It has a great deal to offer the visitor - there are ancient Roman ruins, Crusader castles, Byzantine churches, Ottoman mosques. It has a wonderful climate, with long hot summers and relatively warm winters.

The nearest main town, Kyrenia, is full of narrow cobbled streets leading down to the harbour,below, which is lined with a wide range of restaurants.
PLACES TO VISIT

In the hall, there is a reasonably good range of guide books and a map. The book by Diana Darke is probably the most authoritative, but ignore any prices as it was written a few years ago.
BEACHES

The nearest good beach is Escape, although this is now a bit over-developed. Entry is about £2 person for the showers and sunbeds. Turn left when you go down the hill into Karaoglanoglu, and it is about three miles along the road on the right. There is a large concrete monument close to the beach, so it is hard to miss. It has a small restaurant and bar.


Along the same road is Deniz Kizi, attached to the hotel of the same name, which is in a pretty bay. Further along the coast you come to Mare Monte, which is well protected in windy weather. A little further on is Alsancak beach, also known as Camelot. This has a rather off-putting triumphal arch by the car park but the beach is clean and simple.

As a rule, for beaches near Kyrenia, you have to buy a ticket which costs about £2 and this gets you sunbeds and the use of showers. On beaches further afield where there are no services there are no charges.

The best beach for a day trip is "Turtle Beach' - a long, open sandy beach about 10 miles east of Kyrenia and about half an hour's drive from the house. It is often almost deserted and has a small beach bar where you can rent umbrellas. It is a protected area, and at certain times of the year you can see turtles hatching and scrambling down to the sea.

A memorable excursion is a trip to the Karpass peninsula or panhandle. The whole area is entirely untouched, and is a nature reserve populated by flocks of goats and wild donkeys. It takes about 2 1/2 hours to get to there, and it is a good idea to spend the night at the Blue Sea Hotel. This is a one star hotel with no mains electricity but is not without its own special charm. The main attraction, apart from the monastery, are the numerous little bays along the road and the massive expanse of sand at the end, which is certainly one of the most beautiful beaches in the Mediterranean.

Simple food and a warm welcome can be had at Ali's Big Sand Café, which overlooks the beach.


CASTLES

Kyrenia Castle is worth a visit, and can easily be fitted in during a visit to Kyrenia. It contains the shipwreck museum and some rather lurid waxworks depicting dark goings-on in the dungeons.

St Hilarion is also attractive, and is easy to reach by car. Buffavento is very pretty, but is much more difficult to reach, as you have to climb up the mountain to get to it. Kantara is a long way and probably not worth the effort unless you are passing on the way to Famagusta.

In all these castles, there are some sheer drops in unexpected places and the railings are not adequate.
MONASTERIES

There are two ruined monasteries along the road the other side of Five Finger Mountain (Besparmak). These could be visited in a single day, but it is probably better to see them on separate days. They are both set in a lovely mountain forest and details are the Diana Darke guidebook.
WALKS

In the hall there is a small guidebook giving details of walks you can go on. From the house it is actually possible to walk to St Hilarion, though this is only likely to appeal to the most dedicated walker. It is well worth the effort though and the views are fantastic. The walk takes about an hour and a half and you could always get a taxi back from the castle!

When walking in the hills, it is advisable to wear suitable shoes as a precaution against snakes. Brown ones are poisonous but relatively rare; black ones are more common but are completely harmless.
OTHER TOWNS

The ancient ruins of Salamis, which are near Famagusta, are interesting and the beaches nearby tend to be sandy and go on for miles. You should allow a full day if you are planning to go to Salamis.

The old part of Nicosia has a number of lovely ancient buildings all in fairly close proximity. Recommendations include the Turkish baths, the mosque (which used to be a cathedral), the market and the 'Big Inn'. Again, Diana Darke's guidebook is a very good source of information.
PLACE NAMES

Most places have an English and a Turkish name, which can be confusing. The most common ones are:
Karmi - Karaman
Kyrenia - Girne
Nicosia - Lefkosa
Famagusta - Maguza
RESTAURANTS

There are lots of restaurants in and around Kyrenia serving Turkish and international food. They are usually reasonably priced, and normally display a menu with prices in Sterling.

In Kyrenia, the harbour is an attractive place to eat in. The Harbour Club (which is not a club) is one of the oldest restaurants. It has a slightly colonial feel, and I think it is worth visiting for the atmosphere rather than the food.

The Brasserie is at the top of the steps near the Harbour Club. Again, it is a lovely building (the old Governor's residence), and has a simple international menu. More for adults than children.

There is another restaurant just beside the steps in the middle of the harbour, which is an old converted carob warehouse. The restaurant, which is on the roof, has a lovely view of the harbour, but the food is fairly standard. Turkish food is a better bet than the European food.

Almost any of the other restaurants on the harbour serve reasonable meals - some tend to be 'hamburger and chips' establishments, some offer more local food, but you can normally judge the quality by the number of people.

For children or just for a quick meal, the chicken restaurant called ‘Ezic’ in Kyrenia (on the main road, on the right as you come in from Karaoglanoglu and opposite the supermarket) is brilliant. They do take-away barbecued chickens as well.

The best restaurant, however, is generally reckoned to be the Address, which is in on the sea in Karaoglanoglu, at the bottom of the hill. It serves Turkish and English food and is immensely popular. Coming down form the house, turn left in Karaoglanoglu and look for the large sign on the right. The full kebab is excellent. Reservations are advised.

Closer to home, the two kebab places in Karaoglanoglu do perfectly acceptable local food. The ‘London Butcher’ on the crossroads does Kleftiko (long slow-cooked lamb) once a week as a take-away, but you have to order it in advance. He is a good source for meat, and he speaks good English as well.

Jashan's in Edremit serves very good Indian and European food either on the premises or as a take-away, and even does childrens food. It is half way up the hill from Karaoglanoglu to the house. Click on the logo and you will see their prices ( notice that they are all in £ sterling!).

In Karmi, you can eat at the Levant or at Treasure, where the portions are huge; immediately behind the house is Hilarion Village, which has a restaurant that is open to the public.

Other places along the coast (going west) are Guler's, which is an authentic Cypriot restaurant (as opposed to Turkish). It is called 'Guler's Fish Restaurant' but serves meat as well.

For a feel of an old Cyprus house, you can visit Planter's, which serves European food.

Activities
Scuba

The waters around Cyprus are clear and warm and often a T-shirt and tank is all you need to go diving. There is an excellent scuba outfit attached to the Jasmine Court Hotel on the left as you go into Kyrenia from the house. Dives with all equipment are about £20 and he will take you where you want to go to. I would not recommend the aircraft cockpit however as the dive is quite dull apart from the cockpit.The visibility is usually excellent but there is a lack of fish probably due to overfishing.
Karting

The Karting track in Nicosia is a world class facility and is reputedly the third best track in the world. Last summer a evening out there (for almost 5 hours) for 4 adults and 3 children which included 3 to 4 races each as well as some beers, coffee and snacks came to less than £50. The adult karts are twin engine and go very fast. Children, who must be over 8, race on their own track and have single engine karts which and move fast for them, All laps are computer timed, and after the races competitors get printouts with with everyone's lap times, highest speed etc.

Check with them before you go that there is not a local race meeting on.

[humanist]

Thnx, fanour

[fanour&#305;o]

pleasure