Nicosia, One or Two?
Is Nicosia in Cyprus one or two cities?
A dear friend of mine who was living in the northern part of Cyprus used to tell me that Nicosia was only the southern part of the city, while the north was Lefkoşa.
From his point of view, as a foreigner not allowed to cross the Green Line, there were two cities.
On the other side of the division, I sometimes hear Greek speaking Cypriots say that the country they know ends in Ledra Street, and beyond that, there is a military occupation. For them, going to the north side for a night out is a nonexistent option.
Then there is a third group: us, the people who live fully in Nicosia.
If I think of Nicosia, I think of my Saturday morning shopping at Oxi Market, of the traffic in Stasinou, and of the bakery I like in Strovolos. But I also think of Büyük Han, of my favorite bar in Surlariçi, and of the swimming pool where I go in the summer when I’m too lazy to drive to the beach.
For me and for many others, Nicosia is one.
Google Maps is one of us, as sometimes it shows the fastest route completely ignoring checkpoints and the Green Line.
Living Nicosia 100%
Living in Nicosia 100% means going out some days in the south and some days in the north.
It means having two wallets, one with euros and one with Turkish liras.
It means always having your ID or passport with you in case you need to cross the checkpoint.
It means buying another insurance policy if you want to move by car between the two sides.
It means knowing how to order coffee in both Greek and Turkish.
It means having to explain to people who cannot or don’t want to cross, that in the south we are not all rich and that the north is extremely safe.
If you know many people across the green line, it also means that you will never be able to meet all your friends together. When I have to plan my birthday party, it is difficult to choose. If I celebrate it in the north, some people from the south will not come. Celebrating it in the south means automatically excluding some friends that live in the north and, due to their passports, cannot cross the checkpoints.
If you live in Nicosia 100% of the time, for sure you suffered during the 15 months in which the checkpoints were closed “due to the pandemic”.
You must have felt a bit broken, as if something was missing from your life, as if you were not complete.
If you live in Nicosia 100%, I bet at least once someone has disapproved of your lifestyle.
But then, is Nicosia one or two cities?
The main square is Eleftheria or Sarayönü?
The shopping street is Ledra or Dereboyu?
The main bus station is at Solomou Square or Girne Kapısı?
Sometimes, when I’m crossing the checkpoint for the fourth time in the same day, I think of how privileged we are, as Europeans, to be able to go wherever we want without any problem.
For an asylum seeker living in Strovolos, or for a third country national living in Gönyeli, Nicosia will necessarily end in front of a checkpoint.
You can read more about life in Cyprus here.
Disclaimer: south and north terms are used as simplification and do not represent any endorsement of the division of the island.
