Famagusta is the most brilliant and special city of Northern Cyprus.
Famagusta is a unique place, entering the city – your heart stops. Here you become part of a great story. Here, like nowhere else in Cyprus, you can catch that fascinating feeling of belonging to events long gone. If you are truly curious, you can easily imagine yourself as a crusader, a Venetian sailor or an Ottoman merchant. The city was very “lucky” with names. The Greeks call it Ammochostos (Αμμόχωστος), the Turks call it Magosa or Gazimağusa. Its name will change, depending on which side of Cyprus you will approach it from!
History of Famagusta
The seaport city of Arsinoe (this is the old name of Famagusta) was founded in the III century BC. He named the settlement after his beloved wife. The city (as well as the entire island) was inhabited by the Greeks, although from century to century the island was ruled by various states and dynasties. At one time, it was even the residence of King Richard the Lionheart. Its heyday began in the VII century. After that, the Arabs invaded and destroyed the capital of Cyprus, Salamis. Subsequently, the city was surrounded by high walls and renamed Ammochostos (Επαρχία Αμμοχώστου – city in the sands).
And already in the XII century, the former king of Jerusalem Lusignan renamed the city Famagusta. The largest port in the Mediterranean and a refuge for wanderers. Thus, many refugees from Palestine moved to Famagusta. Located at the crossroads of Europe and the Middle East, the city quickly turned into a wealthy trading center. During the reign of the Lusignan dynasty (from the twelfth to the end of the fifteenth centuries), Cyprus became the capital of luxury and splendor. The island could easily become no worse than Rome or Paris.
XVI-XX centuries
In 1570, the fortress fell to the Ottoman Empire. The Turks ruled Cyprus for almost 3 centuries. After the First World War, Cyprus came into the possession of Great Britain. And it has been their own colony since 1925. And the beautiful city of Famagusta was chosen as the construction of a British military base in the Mediterranean Sea. In 1960, Cyprus finally gained independence. And in Famagusta, 2 municipalities were formed – Greek and Turkish. In 1974, Cyprus was divided into southern and northern parts. And the city of Famagusta remained on the northern side. How the city will live now depends on the world community, Turkey and the 2 communities of the island.
The peculiarity of the city of Gazimağusa today…
Famagusta is a student and port city. It has the following universities, these are:
- Istanbul Technical University (İTÜ KKTC)
- Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU)
- Ada Kent Üniversitesi (AKÜ)
- Cyprus West University (CWU)
İTÜ has 7000 students. EMU has 20,000 students from 68 countries and 1500 academic staff. And AKÜ and CWU have approximately 5000 students each. If you add up, it turns out that about 38,500 students come to one city. For the purpose of studying and living during this period of sessions. Naturally, according to the classics of the genre, universities can cover only 30-50% of all students with dormitories. The rest are forced to rent real estate. And this tells us that Famagusta, as well as Kyrenia (Girne), are excellent cities for investment. The main feature of housing in Famagusta is that 80-90% of the property is rented out for a year. That is, students rent and pay for their housing for a year in advance. It is also convenient for you. Do not run around and do not beg for monthly payment. And immediately take your money and not think for a year about whether the person will move out in 3-6 months or not…
By the way, the city has its own cargo port. Its location: Latitude / Longitude: 35.1395° / 33.952°
Also in Famagusta you can see the old town and, of course, the ghost town of Varosha. Not counting the ancient city of Salamis (Salamis) in Northern Cyprus. And this is all about attracting thousands of tourists to this point of the world. Famagusta, in general, a magnetic place. There is the holiest place for pilgrims – this is the monastery of the Apostle Barnabas, which is located in the Famagusta district.
Varosha (Maraş)
By the way, returning to Varosha – in the next year or two, this place will be divided among developers (there are such rumors). And it is famous for its snow-white beaches and the arrivals of stars of the XX century. Among them are Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Raquel Welch and Brigitte Bardot. The population of the city in those years was 40,000 people, and the number of guests annually exceeded this figure by 10 times. If this city is built upon, it will attract a lot of media attention and investors from all over the world. So if you buy a property near Varosha. You can be the center of attention and also contribute to the history of the city…
So, North Cyprus real estate and Famagusta today are extremely profitable investments, in our opinion.
Southern Cyprus
For example, it is only 17 km from Famagusta to Ayia Napa (as the crow flies), and about 40 km to Larnaca (also as the crow flies). Then one or two and you are in Europe. Famagusta is very, very remarkable. Think about this topic, friends… 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
A couple of decades ago, Cyprus was the sky-high dream of Russian tourists, everyone dreamed of visiting this beautiful Mediterranean resort. Nowadays, Cyprus (South and North) is visited by thousands of Russian tourists. Any Russian is treated very well here. Every second Cypriot knows at least a couple of words in Russian – it’s very funny when you hear your native speech from the mouth of a foreigner. “Hello. How is it going? Harasho. Marozhnoye. Love” is a standard “verbal set” of Cypriots 🙂 In Cyprus, they are sure that Russians are very similar in character. It is even believed that these two peoples have the same soul. By the way, very often you can hear the sound of Russian songs from cars, or in a café. “And we will go north! And we will go north!” – said the jackal Tabaki from the cartoon Mowgli. If you remember… 🙂 🙂 🙂
We are always happy to welcome new people and guests on the island. Well, our managers will tell you in detail about the best real estate options in Famagusta. Come to Northern Cyprus. Source: Veles Enterprises Article prepared by: Valerii Veles
If you have any questions regarding real estate, residence permit, purchase of air tickets, apostilled powers of attorney , please contact Veles Property. Our contact number is +90 548 841 48 38.
