Into the Dead Zone
September 19th, 2011
Muslims converted this Gothic Cathedral into a mosque.
On Friday, Lynne and I walked into Turkish controlled northern Cyprus. Some Greek Cypriots call it The Dead Zone in memory of the 1974 Turkish invasion of north Cyprus. Officially, it is the Green Zone. UN troops are stationed in part of this zone in various places across the island. It is a bit spooky to see razor wire along the Turkish side of the dividing line. We have seen numerous bullet-pocked and bombed out buildings, but we are not supposed to take any photos in this area.
Going into north Cyprus turns out to be pretty easy. Instead of getting a stamp in our passport, however, we get a stamped piece of paper to put in our passport. That satisfies the Greek Cypriot refusal to give any legitimacy to the north as an independent entity by having their stamp on passports.
One of the earliest Ottoman constructions on the island, this building was a hotel. Now it is a place where people gather and venders sell their wares.
We had a pleasant time walking along the streets, looking at sites like the Gothic Cathedral that was converted into a mosque. We will return soon to see other sites.
I am currently reading a book titled Echoes from the Dead Zone: Across the Cyprus Divide, by Yiannis Papadakis. The Greek Cypriot author lived in both north and south Cypus, Greece and Turkey, listening to people tell their stories. The pain and suspicion experienced by people in all these groups has many similarities. But each group has a collective memory that deadens them to the perspectives of the others. It is a fascinating and revealing work.
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September 20th, 2011 at 1:11 pm
I just love reading the posts you all do and comparing them! I can see Lynne patting her foot (feet?) during the whole concert while you watch with dignity–still!
I am so thankful that things are going well. You will not only have a wealth of knowledge for your research but memories for a lifetime! The things you all write take me back to other times, places, and travels as Wallace and I did things somewhat like you are doing. Living in the area is so entirely different than visiting the area. Isn’t it fun to walk those unfamiliar streets, have them become familiar, and have the shopkeepers and residents begin to wave or greet you as if you belonged there?
Many others and I are traveling with you thanks to your faithfulness to this blog!
November 26th, 2011 at 10:33 pm
Serap is a woman roughly 60 years of age and she had to flee from the greek cypriots into the mountains with her husband hÜsseyin, a well educated man (by western criteria) who uses oldfashioned english words in his coversation like “arid” or “barren”. She gave birth to both her sons (twins) in the mountains I don’t know wether they had a cave or wethe it was in the open. anyway – to cut a long story short – Serap had a class reunion reently with the girls and friends of her youth. They reunited in a cafe in the south and everybody was happy, when a greek cypriot woman said we must rapeat this and next time it will be in my house. When Serap told me this story she added that she would never go to her house “because her husband might put something into my coffee” and it turned out on further questioning that she meant that. She was a secretary working for Dr. Fazil Kücük, btw just to clarify her background. I wonder how these two groups will ever reunite when a small private reunion among grown up and wise women who were once friends does not work.
http://www.cypnet.co.uk/ncyprus/people/famous/ppl-drfazilkucuk.htm