Part of Lefkoşa walls collapses
A SECTION of Lefkoşa’s city walls collapsed on Tuesday. The walls were constructed between 1567 and 1570, while the island was a part of the Republic of Venice, but parts have fallen into disrepair due to failures in maintaining them.
The section which collapsed is located on the Quirini (or Cephane) bastion, on the north-western edge of the old city, atop which today is the TRNC’s Presidential Palace. The section fell into the Kuğulu Park, which is located on the outside of the walls.
The Quirini bastion is one of 11 bastions of the walls, which were named after 11 different Venetian aristocratic families. They were constructed before and during the Fourth Ottoman-Venetian War, in which the Ottoman Empire filled in the moat surrounding the walls and seized Lefkoşa on September 9, 1570.
In a statement made by the Presidency the collapse
was blamed on “the damage caused by the increased humidity due to the rainy year”.
“It has come to the fore to evaluate the elements that damage the walls, such as buildings, trees, and plants, and to take measures to prevent this situation from happening again,” the statement said.
“When the weight of the buildings on the walls is added, the walls are in great danger. For this reason, serious measures are inevitable.”
Following the collapse, an investigation was initiated by the Antiquities and Museums Department, and the Lefkoşa Turkish Municipality (LTB) was contacted in order to take security measures and cordon off the site.
In addition, the Tourism, Culture, Youth, and the Environment Ministry announced that a tender would be held for the restoration of the collapsed section of the walls.
Lekoşa Mayor Mehmet Harmancı also made a statement.
“The walls are our common cultural heritage,” he said. “We are ready to take legal responsibility, to take the initiative and to take responsibility for their protection.”
He confirmed that “dialogue” had been opened with the South Nicosia Municipality, and explained his hope to begin a project to restore the entirety of the city’s walls in both the North and the South of the city, while also noting that he was due to open talks with the United Nations and the European Union to facilitate this project.
Mr Harmancı’s statement continued: “We do not have the luxury of sacrificing this heritage to conflicts between institutions and societies . . . the current law on municipalities, which is insufficient to meet the needs of the city, and other legal regulations determining the sharing of power [between various municipalities and levels of government] do not allow us to take the initiative and responsibility
for the protection of our cultural heritage.
“Once the urgently needed restoration works are completed, Lefkoşa Turkish Municipality aspires to take the legal authority and responsibility for the sustainable preservation of the rich cultural heritage of the city – primarily the city walls. This is something on which we insist.”
Meanwhile an animal rescue team from the Taşkent Nature Park was called by the Presidency to aid a snake that had been hibernating inside the walls when they collapsed.
The snake was examined at the scene, and transported to intensive care after treatment was started at the Wildlife Hospital.
It was said to have been of a non-venomous and harmless variety that mainly feeds on mice. Taşkent Nature Park announced that the snake will be released in a suitable place once its treatment and rehabilitation has finished.