A stroll through the past
Chief Reporter KEREM HASAN was one of the first people to enter the “ghost town” of Maraş when part of it was reopened to the public for the first time since 1974.
IT WAS an overwhelming feeling watching thousands march through the gate to enter an area of Cyprus that has been closed to civilian life for the past 46 years.
Maraş, also called Varosha, is known to us as a postcard image of its coastline clearly visible from the Palm Beach hotel; but also as a ghost town, which bears witness to the bitter recent history of Cyprus.
Thousands of residents — the younger generation — grew up looking through barbed wire at the bombed and collapsing buildings.
Now, all of sudden, people from all walks of life and nationalities — from families with young children to politicians and shopkeepers — can stroll through a gate onto freshly asphalted roads lined with flower pots that have been placed by Gazimağusa Municipality.
There they were, now quite literally on the “other side of the fence”, taking photos, selfies and walking freely.
Maraş is located on 5.3km2 of land. A total of 4,649 of the 8,394 buildings — around 55 per cent — are houses.
There are also 21 banks, seven churches, one Islamic holy site (Pertev Paşa), 25 cultural centres, eight schools, 45 hotels, 60 apartment hotels, two sports facilities, eight schools, 143 government offices, 99 entertainment venues and 380 dilapidated buildings and buildings that were under construction.
Once one of the most popular holiday destinations in the world at its height, Maraş is said to have been a favourite destination for stars such as Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Raquel Welch, and Brigitte Bardot.
The resort is under the control of the TRNC but classed as a military zone. The northern boundary of Maraş is 4,000m long and includes 3,400m of coastline and stretches from the Gazimağusa Port road. The southern tip borders South Cyprus while to the west is the village of Derinya. During my visit to Maraş on its opening day I observed that many of the larger, concrete, buildings appeared to be in better condition than smaller buildings that have suffered major structural damage. The few visible collapsed or crumbling buildings seem to epitomise the existence of a conflict, the isolation of North Cyprus, the rights of property owners, and attempts to bring economic benefits to the country.
Maraş tells this tale. Its walls still have the words “Enosis” (union of Cyprus with Greece) and “Eoka” (the Greek Cypriot terrorist organisation) daubed on them, the root cause of the whole conflict, and why Turkey had to intervene in 1974 to stop the island from being united with Greece.
Maraş has been closed to civilians not because the Turkish side chose to keep it closed, but because of countless rejections
by the Greek Cypriot side to have the town returned in exchange for direct flights or trade to North Cyprus. The Greek Cypriot side acted as if Maraş is “in its pocket” and sought more concessions.
The TRNC says that the opening of the town under Turkkish Cypriot rule but with respect to the property owners’ rights conforms with European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) judgments.
In contrast, the UN Security Council, in a statement issued on October 9, expressed its “conccern” over “Turkey’s announced plan to open the coastline of Varosha” and called for a “reversal” of the decision.
So we now have a situation where the UN is at loggerheads with ECHR judgements. Why can’t the Turkish Cypriot side open the town and bring it under the scope of the Immovable Property Commission? Why isn’t the UN, which purports to champion human rights, supporting this fresh initiative? Should the town be kept closed for another 50 years?