The Green Line

One of the most bizarre tourists in Lefkosia is the Green Line. The Green Line got its name from the color of the pen the British officer used in 1963 when he divided the city into a Turkish and a Greek part to reduce the violence and harassment the Greek put on the Turkish.

For the next 11 years it was still possible to cross from one side of the city to the other - but after the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974 the Green Line were closed for any border crossing. This basically led to a division in of the island with no contact or interaction between the two sides. The border remained closed for any passage until 2003 - during this period no Cypriot or foreigner were able to cross from one part of the city to the other and UN troops kept a presence in the no man’s land between the two parts of the city. The division of Lefkosia lasted longer than the Berlin Wall divided Berlin into East and West.

Today you can cross the Green Line in two places in Lefkosia - at the old Ledra Palace Hotel and in the centre at the Ledra Police station. Crossing the border is easy but also a bit strange experience. On the Greek side there is huge signs telling about recent (1996) Turkish violence and killing of Greeks at the Ledra Palace Hotel and at the central crossing there is a small exhibition next to the border telling a bit about the illegal Turkish occupation of Northern Cyprus.

When you walk across the line you will be able to look a bit to the side and there you can see old buildings which have been turned into ruins. And you may run into some blue barrettes speaking in the Queens English like I did on one of my crossings of the line.

You can also walk more or less along the line on both sides of the border where you will encounter a lot of street which has been turned into a dead end block by concrete bunkers, oil barrels, metal gates or just plain barbwire. Along the Green line you can look into no man’s land from time to time and it is constantly old deserted houses or the occasional UN watchtower looking out over the area. On both side of the line you will see soldiers from either the Greek or Turkish army depending on what side of the line you are walking. You will also see lots of poster warning you not to enter the forbidden zone and not take any photographs.

You should never try to enter the restricted area - first of all because it can get you into some serious trouble and possibly also some mortal danger given the no man’s land is said to be full of old booby trap mines.