NICOSIA

The establishment of the Nicosia dates back around 2200 years and it is the capital of the Cyprus now with a population of about 112.000 and was developed particularly during the Lusignan rule. The region is divided into two sides as Turkish and Greek sectors by a frontier known as the green line which follows in east - west direction. The city walls, which were built by the Venetians in 1570 as a protection from the Turk attacks, are thick and high. They covered the city and are 4.5 km in lenght with 11 towers. Inside the city walls there are original examples of Gothic and Ottoman architectural styles, including the Selimiye Mosque (St. Sophia Cathedral), Bedesten (covered bazaar - St. George Cathedral), a Lapidary Museum set in an old Venetian house and an obelisk, while belonging to the Ottoman period are the Arabahmet Mosque, the Buyuk Han (Grand Inn), the Kumarcilar Han (Gambler's Inn), the Sultan Mahmut II Library, and countless various structures. Like the other towns of Cyprus which remained under Ottoman rule for more than 300 years Lefkosa too is typically Turkish in character.