Nicosia (Lefkosia)
The capital of Cyprus since the 12th century, Nicosia stands at the heart of the Mesaoria Plain. It is currently divided by the ‘Green Line’, a UN buffer zone that separates the Turkish-occupied north of the island and the Government-controlled south. The Old City, which is being renovated in part, is defined by 16th-century walls built by the Venetians. Among attractions and points of interest are the Cyprus Museum, a storehouse of the island’s archaeological treasures, the Folk Art Museum, the new Archbishop’s Palace, St John’s Cathedral, Byzantine churches, the Byzantine Museum/Makarios Cultural Centre and the Ömeriye Mosque. The city hosts the annual International State Fair (end of May) and the Nicosia Arts Festival (beginning of June).
The Nicosia area has some interesting excursion possibilities, including the Royal Tombs and Agios Irakleidios Monastery at Tamassos; the five-dome church and the mosque in Peristerona; the Panagia Chrysospiliotissa Church, in a cliff-side cave near Deftera. Further into the rugged Pitsylia Region, in the hills southwest of Nicosia, is Machairas Monastery, close to the restored and protected traditional villages of Fikardou, Gourri and Lazanias.
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