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Famagusta after 1974
14th August 1974
An account of the events of 1974
We left in the morning of the 14th of August 1974. It was Wednesday when the second invasion of Attila begun and the defensive line at Mias Milias fell. When the news broke out, and following orders from the military headquarters, the Director of the Hospital called for the immediate transfer of the Hospital to the nearby village of Frenaros. The news spread in a matter of minutes, from mouth to mouth and from house to house and everyone started to move towards Dekeleia, convinced they would return to their homes in the evening once the situation had deflated. Turkish military troops moved in and bombarded the city relentlessly, as well as the beachfront and hospital.
It was an immense loss for the 40.000 inhabitants of Famagusta who became refugees in their own country. They had lost their land, their properties, their homes and businesses and many of their own people. After a couple of days spent in tents at the British sovereign bases, the people moved southwards in search of a new life. Many Famagustians settled in Limassol and Laranaca. Others went to Paphos. Others still had no option but to go overseas in search of a better future to support their broken families.
Our city is like we left it
My neighborhood is built in the sand
Its roots are in the sea
My neighborhood
I unbury every night
But each time, it buries itself again
Polyvios Niklaou, from the poetry collection Famagusta /82
Expatriated and uprooted Famagustians worked very hard, both in Cyprus and abroad to make a living. They developed new businesses and raised their children in the hope that soon again they would be able to return to their home town. Most Famagustians settled in Limassol and it is there that they built the Municipality of Famagusta from scratch, elected a new Mayor and waited for better days to come.
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| A refugee camp. Photo by Doros Partasides |
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| Life in the refugee camp. Photo by Doros Partasides. |
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| Ruins and dead bodies. Photo by Doros Partasides |
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Smoke of destruction. |
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| Ruins. Photo by Doros Partasides |
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