GÜZELYURT NORTH CYPRUS
Situated in the North west of Cyprus, surrounded by lovely citrus groves is the town of Guzelyurt. The name means ‘beautiful land’ in the Turkish language. With a population of 10,000 as the name implies it is a lovely town. Guzelyurt is very fertile with numerous underground springs and distinctive red soil. In this region oranges, grapefruit, melon, watermelon and vegetables are grown. A large proportion of the citrus fruits are exported and the remaining are made into fruit juice and canned for local consumption and export.
In the spring the light breeze from the west scatter the white orange blossoms from which you can smell the fragrance around the town, whilst other seasons the oranges and lemons shine on the trees. It is an ideal picnic spot for those who want to escape from the noise and rush of city life and spend a day in the peace and quiet of natural surroundings. The region abounds in natural and beautiful beaches.
Lefke near Guzelyurt nestling below the Trodos Mountains, is the copper mining town of the recent past. You can still see CMC Mining Co’s derelict shipping piers projecting into the sea. Lefke reflects very much the Ottoman domination over 300 years by its character as a town. It is especially beautiful in the spring with its ancient date palms soaring over the backdrop of snow covered Mount Olympus.
St Mamas Monastery
St Mamas Monastery is an 18th Century Monastery but the icon section dates back to Venetian and yzantine periods. This monastery and museum are located in Guzelyurt (Morphou) . Guzelyurt was the seat of one of the Orthodox bishops and the current Archaeological Museum was the Bishop’s Palace.
According to legend St Mamas stubbornly refused to pay his taxes and the authorities eventually sent troops to fetch and punish him. On the way to the Capital, Mamas noticed a lion about to fall upon a lamb, he took the lamb in his arms and rode into the capital on the lion’s back. The Byzantine governor was so impressed by what he saw, that he released St Mamas from his dues. Since that day St Mamas has be the Patron Saint of Tax Avoiders. St Mamas’ white marble grave can be seen, plus many important icons.
Vouni Palace
This 137 roomed palace was built on a hilltop by the Phoenician pro-Persian King of the neighbouring city of Marion (Polis) to watch over the pro-Greek city of Soli following an unsuccessful revolt of the latter against the Persians in 498 BC. It was headquarters of a garrison and consisted of state apartments, large store rooms and bathrooms. In 449 BC when the Persian were defeated and Greek rule was established. The ruler of Marion was replaced by a pro-Greek prince and alterations were made and a second storey added. Pro-Persian and pro-Greek history of this royal residence lasted for some 70 years and after it was destroyed by the inhabitants of Soli in a fire in 380 BC. It was never rebuilt.
