Ottoman heritage of the capital to be promoted
MUSEUM entry fee discounts and training for 50 tour guides are part of a new project launched this week to promote the Ottoman religious heritage of Lefkoşa.
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Hakan Çavuşoğlu held a press conference in the Turkish capital Ankara on Tuesday to set out the plans to attract more tourists to Lefkoşa for an “alternative” experience.
The event was also attended by Turkey’s Vakıflar (religious foundations) general director Adnan Ertem, his TRNC counterpart, Evkaf head İbrahim Benter, and members of the Cyprus Turkish Travel Agents’ Union (Kıtsab).
Mr Çavuşoğlu said Cyprus had been a “religious foundations” island “ever since it was conquered in 1571” by the Ottoman Empire, and that attracting more people to visit Evkaf-protected sites in Lefkoşa would “bring a fresh breath of air” to tourism.
He said that while the Venetians, who ruled Cyprus before the Ottoman Turks, were a “feudal people” who only regarded Cyprus as a “military base”, the Ottomans had, on the other hand, established a “civilisation of pious foundations” to solve many of the island’s problems, “water in particular”.
He explained that across the island there were many “edifices” belonging to such foundations, including 202 mosques, 15 “tekkes” (dervish monasteries or shrines), eight madrasas (educational institutions), and inns and Turkish baths. Mr Çavuşoğlu said a “sizeable number of these” were located in the TRNC. He said that Turkey’s Vakıflar Administration was “engaged in all places where the Ottomans used to be present” and that Cyprus was “one of the places where they have been very engaged”.
Mr Çavuşoğlu announced that there were plans to restore some buildings dating from the Ottoman era, as well as undertaking “charity work”.
He revealed that 50 Turkish Cypriot guides would be trained to give tours of Lefkoşa focusing on the city’s religious foundation history and religious architectural heritage, following a similar programme in Turkey started in 2014.
Mr Çavuşoğlu expressed his dismay at the “lack of awareness” of Lefkoşa’s Ottoman cultural heritage, a fact he had established after meetings with Evkaf, Kıtsab and the Cyprus Turkish Tourist Guides’ Union. He said the talks had resulted in the launch of the new tourism push.
Mr Çavuşoğlu also announced that there would a reduction in the price of museum entrance fees as well as a 30 per cent discount on entry fees for those visiting Evkafowned historical sites.
He said that he would visit North Cyprus on April 15 for an event to promote the scheme.