I will not write about the fact that there was a great empire, but its people (meaning people of simple rank and low wealth) claimed more, which the then elites could not give them, and as a result, a revolution took place in this “empire of deceived claims” and civil war. Well - she is not the first and she is not the last, but only in her until now, although almost 100 years have passed, people still divide each other into "white" and "red". But everything has changed, everything is different around. The stars remained on the Kremlin, but the flag of … that one is "White Guard", although, one might say, it is the trade flag of the era of Peter the Great. And it would be nice to calm down. After all, there are ways … become richer, smarter, go into politics, wait, as Ieyasu Tokugawa waited for his time, and … do what you want (or whatever you can!), But no … again you want "great accomplishments" and quickly. But nothing is done quickly in politics!
"Restricted area". Next - Varosha!
For example, Donbass. There are also people who say - "it would be solved as soon as possible", "let's give" them "!" But all the same it will not be solved! "Reconciliation" is not beneficial to our opponents. Are they strong? And then! Means? This means that I will have to live with it, and how long - ooh - ooh - I don’t even want to fantasize, because every time I think about it, before my eyes it rises … Varosha!
And it so happened that, while resting on the territory of the Republic of Cyprus, I just wanted to horrified to see, "and what is there on the northern side", on the territory of the unrecognized "Republic of Northern Cyprus". A Russian travel company offered an excursion there for 56 euros, but … knowing my compatriots, I went to a Bulgarian company and got all the same for 26 euros, and with a Russian guide. It is not true that they are not allowed “to the North” from the south, that “you will be stamped in your passport, and you won’t come back with it”. Turks are not fools, and tourists are treated well. I got on the bus and rolled to my health, and where it is forbidden to take pictures, a poster or a sentry will notify you of this. But the latter is not scary.
View of Varosha from the beach. You can still get here. Under the two flags of Turkey and the unrecognized republic of Northern Cyprus, the booth where the sentry usually sits.
So, I went to Famagusta to see the Cathedral of St. Nicholas, Othello's castle, Cupid's castle, Venetian fortresses and the wreckage of an ancient ship, but, above all, to this city in a city where no one has lived for many years and which is the visible result of … the civil war in Cyprus. Many say it was a Turkish intervention. Yes, there was an intervention. But before that, everything was the same as during the civil war: a brother went to a brother, a Muslim neighbor to a Christian neighbor, and it began. And then someone seemed to have called for the Turkish troops, and … more blood was shed at times. However, for fans of alternative history there is another interpretation: all this was organized and provoked by the British in order to put an obstacle to Soviet influence in the Middle East and especially in Cyprus. That, they say, President Makarios wanted to demand (or even already demanded?) From the British to remove their bases from the island, but they themselves "removed" for this. Who knows what kind of politics was going on then on the sidelines and … is happening now ?!
The monument to the President of Cyprus, Archbishop Makarios III (1913 - 1977) stands in the highest part of Cyprus in the Troodos Mountains, and the Cypriots honor it to this day.
While the bus ran along the perimeter of the British military base, which, in fact, is the zone of delimitation between north and south, the guide said that this very Varosha, where we will go, until the 70s of the last century was a lively seaside city where tourists came from all over Europe.
And this is how Varosha looks from the side of the sea.
Hotels in Varosha were then so popular that the most luxurious rooms in these hotels were booked by the prudent Englishmen and Germans already 20 years in advance. There were also luxurious villas, churches, shops - in a word, it was a very cozy seaside town, very similar to modern Larnaca, but only the sandy beach here was much better. All the gas stations here belonged to Petrolina, the Greek oil monopoly of the time. Famagusta stretched along the eastern coast of Cyprus to the south and occupied an area of several tens of square kilometers of beautiful Cypriot land …
Only the owner of such a limousine, or even more, can be a taxi driver in Cyprus. And there is no such "car", so you can't be a taxi driver!
Here it is - the beautiful Cypriot land rich in microelements. The island provides itself with wheat, potatoes too, and you don't have to talk about watermelons. Olive trees are everywhere and the hostesses salt them like our cucumbers! There is not enough water and in drought it is brought in by tankers!
And then it began … In 1974, the Greek fascists attempted a coup d'état, as a result of which a military dictatorship of "black colonels" was established there, and for Turkey it became a convenient excuse to send its troops to the island. On August 14-16, 1974, the Turkish army occupied 37% of the island, including the city of Famagusta, and Varosha, one of its suburbs. And now, a few hours before the Turkish troops entered Famagusta, all the Greeks - the inhabitants of Varosha left their homes, and hurried to the southern part of the island, settled in mainland Greece, and moved to Great Britain and the United States. There were 16 thousand of them, and they left, fully confident that they would return in at least a week, and at most two. But how many years have passed since then, and the opportunity to re-enter their homes, none of them has yet been presented.
Normal human habitation is behind. Ahead you see this day and night …
The guide says that the planes were the first to arrive, that Varosha was bombed, but they didn’t bomb her too much, apparently, only for an excuse. But she became a victim of total plunder by marauders. First of all, these were the Turkish military, who took furniture, televisions and dishes to the mainland. Then the inhabitants of the nearby streets, who stole everything that the soldiers and officers of the occupying army did not need. Turkey was forced to declare the city a closed zone, but this did not save the area from total looting: everything that could be taken away was taken away.
What can be observed here now makes a strange impression: here is the mayor's office and a steam locomotive on the rails in front of it. It turns out that the only railway that existed in Cyprus led here. But … Varosha ended, and the road stopped, especially since the rails were somewhere intercepted by barbed wire. By the way, the mayor's office is also surrounded by it from the back and its employees from the facade admire the living city, but behind they see the dead!
The fact is that the Turks from Famagusta itself did not settle Varosha for some reason. The Turkish army surrounded the deserted area with a fence made of barbed wire, as well as checkpoints and other obstacles, which mothballed Varosha in the form in which the Greek Cypriots once left it in August 1974. And in this form, it appears before us even now - the most terrible monument to the civil war that once divided bi-national Cyprus into two unequal ethnic and religious halves.
And so along the entire perimeter of the zone …
The street looks very interesting. On the left is a fence made of barbed wire, in some places already thoroughly crumpled and not scary, behind which there are residential houses and roses grow, but on the right - almost the same houses and near them the Turks are sitting and sunburned children are running around. They look at our bus without surprise. We got used to it, as tourists come here regularly. Probably, they crawl under the wire (after all, children …), but we are warned that those who are caught in the Zone - everything just like the Strugatskys in the "Roadside Picnic", will be fined 10 thousand euros, and, of course, no one even and it does not occur to me to go there and shoot "live" there. To whom are the posters of the Turkish army also hanging on the fence: "Forbidden zone" or "Know fotoz, know cameras."
Turks gloss over, but brave guys write!
Well, those who still managed to visit there and the Turkish patrols did not get caught, talk about the plates with mold in the dining rooms of elegant hotels and villas, about the linen, which is still dried on the ropes in some places, and an amazing amount of weeds. that filled all the streets there. 1974 price tags in shops and bars. However, this is not entirely true, but just "horror stories". In fact, there is utter desolation there, because everything was taken away from there a long time ago, including the plates. What's good to be wasted, isn't it? Few people know about this, but the former residents there are sometimes allowed to be there inside. Well, it is clear that they already took everything there that was left. Moreover, there is even one hotel in Varosha. This is a rest house for the officers of the occupying Turkish army. And cats and cats come here from the lively surrounding streets and train in catching rats.
Everything is thrown and no one needs it anymore, even into scrap metal!
In addition, as in the Strugatskys' novel, stalkers also appeared here, who, for money, escort curious tourists to the zone. From time to time, graffiti appears on the walls of hotels, that is, young people also visit there. Officially, Varosha cannot be photographed, but many are secretly filming her, and the Turkish sentries, even when they see it, have not yet shot anyone.
It is estimated that 10 billion euros are needed to restore Varosha. It is clear that no one has that kind of money, and recently an alternative project has appeared: to demolish everything and build a completely new one in the place of the old city, according to the principle "whoever remembers the old, is out of sight!" But whether it will be, and most importantly - when, no one knows!
I was amused by one meeting with a couple of tourists from Russia. “Are you from the south ?! Oh!" "Are you from the north?" “Well, yes, everything is cheaper here, a direct plane from Istanbul. They treat Russians very well! But how are you not afraid? " "Why aren't you afraid?" “Well, we're from Turkey! And you are from the south. " Such is the strange logic, but they apparently understood it, but I did not.
But in this place on the beach everything is arranged well. In good weather, Turkish officers sunbathe and swim here. But it is better not to take pictures of them themselves, because, as they say, for this, the Turkish military immediately arrests the photographer and fines at least 500 euros.
Hot, stuffy - what to do? Have a beer! I went into a small restaurant, I see, they are selling "Pilsen". In the southern part of Cyprus, it costs 3 euros. I give the hostess a five - "One bottle, pliz!" In response, wide-open eyes, fleeing to the back of the restaurant to her Turkish husband, and discussing some financial problems with him using a calculator. I think - “My money is gone. They will not give me back, and there will be no one to complain. But the thirst is worth it, okay! " But the Turks come up with a Turkish woman and give me a bottle and … 4 euros for change! Here's how! Here is the unfortunate, unrecognized territory for you. In the universally recognized south - 3, in the unrecognized north - 1, and we must assume that they sold me this bottle at a loss. That is, this situation with the division of the island is beneficial to someone? In any case, it is profitable for the Plzeskie merchants, otherwise they would not have sold it here? In a word, not everything is as obvious as it seems to lie on the surface, is it? In any case, one thing is bad - it is a civil war, because for whatever “bright goals” it is fought for, “Pilsen” will not be cheaper than 1 euro anyway!
