Secret Cyprus: Nicosia - Across the Divide

Under an hour's drive away from Larnaca is the Cypriot capital Nicosia (or Lefkosia). As with any capital city, the pace is more up tempo than the smaller cities and villages of Cyprus. A city rich in history and cultural contradictions, this is a must-see when you're in Cyprus. We'd recommend you invest in a guide book, such as Lonely Planet's super publication on Cyprus, so you can make the most out of your visit.

The south side of the city is inhabited by a Greek-Cypriot population. Naturally, the city has a thriving business district and is home to the headquarters of many corporate entities. There is an evident street café culture and the atmosphere is relaxed and cosmopolitan. Eateries are plentiful, with a mix of familiar brands peppered with local offerings. As expected, shopping outlets are in abundance, from high-end boutique shops through to well-acquainted high street names offering a wide range of choice for consumers.

There is a plethora of culturally interesting places to visit, including the Cyprus Archaeological Museum and the Ethnographic Museum to name just two. Cyprus Archaeological Museum displays archaeological artefacts from across the island with some of the exhibits dating back some 8500 years. The Ethnographic Museum (former Folk Art Museum) houses collections representing Cypriot folk art of the 19th and early 20th centuries.

The local architecture is varied, with many older buildings having undergone renovation work to restore them to their former glory. As you move closer to the border with the Old City, it is then you start to get a sense of the underlying history which pulses through Nicosia's veins.

Nicosia is Europe's only remaining divided city, being split in two by a United Nations buffer zone known as the 'Green Line' that divides the government-controlled south from the northern section of the island that has been occupied by Turkey since 1974. As you approach the Green Line, the scars of former unrest are displayed as bullet holes punched into the walls of buildings. UN personnel guard the border and photography of the dividing area of the Green Line itself is strictly prohibited. The buffer zone is a stark contrast to the bustle of the clean, shop-lined streets. Dereliction, decay and a real sense that this is no man's land befalls the division and serves as an eerie reminder of the city's struggles.

Ledra Street, where a pedestrian crossing point is located, reopened in 2008, allowing Cypriots from Greek and Turkish sides of the city to move more freely. The border (or 'buffer zone') is subject to immigration procedures and to cross you'll need a valid passport. You'll also need to fill out a short visa form which is available from the passport control offices on the Turkish Cypriot half of the border. Once through immigration, a short walk through hoardings announcing future developments for a reunited Nicosia brings you into the Turkish-Cypriot inhabited Old City.

Entering the Old City, the first thing you are greeted with is shops and cafés, but with a distinctly different feel to the shops south of the border. The architecture is immediately different; a little less grandiose, a little more down-to-earth. Shops filled to the brim with fake designer brand goods, textiles and housewares sidle up to one another. A word to the wise, buying goods and bringing them back over the border is subject to customs restrictions and expensive items as well as cigarettes and alcohol may be confiscated. If in doubt, ask the staff at the border crossing before you start shopping on the other side.

As you walk through the streets, you realise you have not entered a war zone. Men playing backgammon on the street banter playfully as they each try and take victory. Patrons sit in chic bars sipping cocktails whilst locals go about their business. It's a far cry from the bleak picture the buffer zone paints.

The Selimiye Mosque is the chief mosque was formerly the cathedral of St. Sophia. The tell-tale Gothic arches sit beneath the towering minarets in a surreal juxtaposition of architectural elements, each symbolic to different faiths. On the south side of the mosque is The Bedestan, a Greek church built in the Byzantine and mediaeval styles. The two places of worship sit side by side; quite why they were built so close together given the Old City's history is somewhat a mystery.

Selimiye Mosque

Other culturally significant places to visit include St John's Cathedral (Agios Ioannis), the Byzantine Museum and the Old City Walls. St. John's Cathedral is an Orthodox Cathedral built in 1662 by Archbishop Nikiforos, dedicated to Saint John the Theologian. The Byzantine Museum is home to the largest collection of icons on the island of Cyprus. The icons date from the 9th to the 18th centuries. The museum also contains an art gallery exhibiting oil paintings, maps and lithographs. The Old City Walls that encapsulate the Old City date from the Venetian occupation in the 16th century, and have a circumference of three miles.

An absolute must-see in the Old City is the beautiful Büyük Han. Built in 1572 by the first Ottoman governor of Cyprus, Musafer Pasha, the Büyük Han is a superb example of Ottoman architecture and is a rare surviving example of a medieval caravanserai. In the Middle Ages, travellers and traders sought accommodation at these inns as well as a place to rest their horses, trade goods and socialise with fellow travellers. The central courtyard has a mescit (Islamic 'chapel') at its heart balanced on six pillars over a small fountain. This rare design is unique to the Büyük Han and only two others are located in Turkey.

Restored in recent years, it has undergone a renaissance as a focal point of the Old City's activity and now accommodates cafés, shops and traditional artisan workshops in the small cells that originally served as the inn's sleeping area. Soak up its enclosed tranquility and stop for a glass of wine and something to eat, or browse the local craft work whilst you're there.

Touring round the parameter of the Old City Walls will take you through both commercial and residential areas. You will come across the odd bar pumping out Western music every now and again and hear the voices of families spending time together in their homes. The architecture of the residential areas is rich, but there is a notable difference to residences in the south in terms of the general condition of some of the buildings; perhaps an indication of a divide in wealth and not just land. This only adds to the character of the Old City. The full circumference of the walls will take you several hours on foot.

Returning to the south across the silent border on Ledra Street, the noise immediately picks up to the flurry and bustle of the shoppers and café-dwellers. It feels as if you've been through some peculiar transition, as if you've somehow travelled through time. There is, however, an extraordinary sense of reflection having seen both sides of the divide, a reflection which celebrates the differences and looks to the future of Nicosia, the last divided city.