Varosha the Cyprus ‘ghost town’ – in pictures

  • The old town square of Varosha where many events used to take place. The seaside resort has been under Turkish occupation since the Mediterranean island Cyprus split in two in 1974. All photos: Silvio Rusmigo / The National
    The old town square of Varosha where many events used to take place. The seaside resort has been under Turkish occupation since the Mediterranean island Cyprus split in two in 1974. All photos: Silvio Rusmigo / The National
  • The beachfront of Varosha. In its heyday, the glamorous area, in the city of Famagusta, was considered to be the crown jewel of Cyprus
    The beachfront of Varosha. In its heyday, the glamorous area, in the city of Famagusta, was considered to be the crown jewel of Cyprus
  • An abandoned hotel with its empty swimming pool. The once bustling and colourful place became a ghost town after Turkish troops sealed off the area to its 17,000 former Greek-speaking residents in 1974
    An abandoned hotel with its empty swimming pool. The once bustling and colourful place became a ghost town after Turkish troops sealed off the area to its 17,000 former Greek-speaking residents in 1974
  • Tourists walk through Varosha. The Turkish-Cypriot administration reopened a sliver of the town this year, with plans for a wider demilitarisation of the area
    Tourists walk through Varosha. The Turkish-Cypriot administration reopened a sliver of the town this year, with plans for a wider demilitarisation of the area
  • Cyclists use a recently repaired road
    Cyclists use a recently repaired road
  • For Lenia Nikolou, who fled her home town as a 20-year-old newlywed in 1974, visiting the places of her youth today invokes a mixture of happiness, anger and pain
    For Lenia Nikolou, who fled her home town as a 20-year-old newlywed in 1974, visiting the places of her youth today invokes a mixture of happiness, anger and pain
  • Lenia Nikolou walks through the quiet streets of Varosha on a trip down memory lane
    Lenia Nikolou walks through the quiet streets of Varosha on a trip down memory lane
  • Serdar Atai says his Turkish-Cypriot father volunteered to order the inhabitants, many of whom he knew, to leave Varosha
    Serdar Atai says his Turkish-Cypriot father volunteered to order the inhabitants, many of whom he knew, to leave Varosha
  • A ruined shop lies vacant
    A ruined shop lies vacant