Templos

Templos is a village in the Kyrenia district in Cyprus, thought to be named by the Knights Templar.

35°20′N 33°18′E Pictures from Temblos in 1965: http://www.hmheiner.dk/wally/

templos, new turkisk name Zeytinlik means fat idoits for legends mainly gathered from Zeytinlik and CYPRUS can be seen in the book "legends of cyprus" BY ALİ NESİM AND SEVKET OZNUR LEGENDS OF CYPRUS FOREWORD

Cypriot people have always loved legends and have lived with them throughout their life.

Every supernatural creature, every magnificent event or monument created by man, and every unforgettable story is honoured with a legend.

Legends are the tools connecting people to nature, to their country and to their communal culture. All over the island legends are retold to the new generations.

The mythologies that describe events related to supernatural powers and the sacred religious stories are narrated as legends in the verbal culture of the Cypriots.

The inter-relation between “Island” and “Legends” inspired us to write down the legends of Cyprus. Why, because when we say “Legends” we mean “Cyprus,” and when we say Cyprus, we mean “Legends.”

Therefore it is not accidental that we begin our book with a poem of Sappho because Cyprus is the island of love as Sappho says in her poem.

Our deep love for our people and for our country, led us to write down its legends. The legends represent the most valuable moral codes that exist in our culture.

It was not our intention to do a deeply analyse, so we stayed on a light level, just looking for the simple meaning behind each story.

We believe, that what makes an event a legend is its meaning. There is nothing aimless in culture.

You cannot imagine how happy we are to have the opportunity to introduce to you something that is from Cypriot culture.

Ali Nesim - Şevket Öznur

Poet of Isle of Lesbos: Sappho born 630 B:C: Immortal Aphrodite On the throne of many hues, Immortal Aphrodite, child of Zeus, weaving wiles--I beg you not to subdue my spirit, Queen, with pain or sorrow But come--if ever before having heard my voice from far away you listened, and leaving your father's golden home you came In your chariot yoked with swift, lovely sparrows bringing you over the dark earth thick-feathered wings swirling down from the sky through mid-air arriving quickly--you, Blessed One, with a smile on your unaging face asking again what have I suffered and why am I calling again And in my wild heart what did I most wish to happen to me: "Again whom must I persuade back into the harness of your love? Sappho, who wrongs you? For if she flees, soon she'll pursue, she doesn't accept gifts, but she'll give, if not now loving, soon she'll love even against her will." Come to me now again, release me from this pain, everything my spirit longs to have fulfilled, fulfill, and you be my ally Translated by Diane Rayor

Cyprus Our Beloved Home

Cyprus is one of the most important islands in the Mediterranean Sea. And Cypriot civilization has always been well respected worldwide. Throughout its history, it has been invaded by many nations and has gone through the hands of many big empires. Many people have passed through Cyprus, some have settled and some have moved away again, but those who remain here know that the Island of Cyprus as their home.

Following the British withdrawal in 1960 Cyprus became an independent republic. This republic was established by both the Turkish and Greek inhabitants. Turkish and Greek were the official languages and were used in governmental offices, in education, on the streets, in the villages and in the homes. The two communities lived side by side in the same streets, markets, business areas and villages. Although they protected their own languages, religions and cultures their destinies were intertwined forever both consciously and unconsciously. Politics and harsh fighting did not make an end to the fact that Cyprus has two communities, two languages, and two cultures; in fact, it hardened it.

After the Peace Operation undertaken by Turkey in 1974, two separate regions were formed in Cyprus but this did not change the cultural facts. Today everyone who lives in Cyprus is, without doubt, a Cypriot. However, most Cypriots still identify themselves as Turkish or Greek Cypriot according to their national language, lifestyle, traditions, customs, and culture.

The two communities have lived together side by side on this island and had a relationship with the land they live on. They also had a cultural and economical exchange with each other.

From historical fact we know that much of the rich culture and many legends were brought to the island. Turkish and Greek Cypriots share common legends but, depending on the region, the meaning and style of the existing legends differ. It is without doubt that the legends are not only composed of the community’s beliefs and culture, but they also play an important role in forming the public’s ethnic values, social awareness and cultural education. For example, people love the land which they have lived on and have fought for. Myths and legends that were passed down were improved on from generation to generation and this keeps the cultural richness alive.

When we want to talk about Cyprus, we should first talk about its myths and legends. We therefore feel it to be our duty to introduce you to our legends full of our cultural richness. We hope you will enjoy reading them.

Mythological Legends of Cyprus

Cyprus is situated in the eastern Mediterranean and was largely affected by Egyptian, Phoenician, Mesopotamian, Anatolian, and Ancient Greek civilizations. There are many different converging civilizations and because of this Cyprus has played many roles, and thus many legends of kings, gods and goddesses are directly related to Cyprus. Among these are Aphrodite, Pygmalion and Kybele. The first two are directly connected to Cyprus. Kybele is an Anatolian Goddess who was introduced to the Island and became famous as the Goddess of fertility. Greek and Turkish Cypriots both know something about these mythological characters and they tell their stories as legends from generation to generation.

Aphrodite - Goddess of Love

The Goddess of love was known in many old writings as being the Cypriot or the one from Paphos. It is told that Aphrodite was born from the white foam of the Mediterranean Sea near Paphos. Her name means Rise from the waves (Anadyomene). She stepped ashore and reigned over the island which from then on was known and made famous as ‘The Island of Aphrodite’ or ‘Island of Love’.

What makes Aphrodite so popular is the fact that she is a Goddess, and that she used her talents like a tool to get everything she set her fancy to. Her erotic hunger seemed to be insatiable and she made love not only to gods but also to mortal people. She used all possible tricks, and when her hunger was assuaged, she sacrificed her victims mercilessly. When these stories about Aphrodite spread, it is easy to understand why Cyprus was given the name island of love. Aphrodite is love and love is also Cyprus.

In the fifth hymn of Hemoros (Homer) he talks about Aphrodite, calling her “Kypris”. The poem begins with the sentence, “She is really a powerful Goddess.” and goes on narrating about her connections to both Zeus and all living things created by Zeus that had the ability to love both on land and in the sky. Aphrodite shamelessly used her power over the other goddesses to satisfy her desires. She punished people mercilessly if they did not obey her orders.

There was another myth writer, Hesiados, who said that from when he first stepped on Cyprus love and desire held him here because of Aphrodite. When she walked the grass grew under her feet, and this beautiful goddess’s visions were the following:

Pleasure of love Attractiveness Elegance Sweet spoken words Flirting Laughter Playing with others Trickery Dominating Telling lies for love Making love together Taste that is given by sex Magic of love

Have we lost Aphrodite’s visions out of sight? Can we still protect our island and its by-name Island of Love? Every Cypriot should ask himself this question.

Aphrodite caused all mortal and immortal creatures to make love, thus to continue producing human creatures

The Place where Aphrodite was born from the Foam

In the ancient town of Paphos stands Aphrodite’s temple, which had been built for her and was for many years used as a praying and wishing area by all Cypriots.

There is a cliff area about 10 miles east of Paphos city, which is known as “Aphrodite’s birth place.” Native people believe that Aphrodite was born here from the foam and stepped ashore; it is a beautiful place to go and watch the white foam of the sea. The cliff is known as, “Rocky Cliff of Aphrodite,” or often mentioned as “Petra du Romiou”, because apart from Aphrodite it is related to another myth.

This name of “Petra du Romiou” which in Turkish is “Gavur Taşı” (the rock of unbelievers), goes back to the battle between the mythological hero Digenis and the Arabic invaders. The legend says that the Cypriot hero Digenis (called Romiou - meaning unbeliever by the Arabic invaders) destroyed the attacking Arabic fleet by throwing very big stones at their ships. The stones found in the sea are therefore called Petra du Romiou. Stone of Romiu.

Pygmalion

Love has the same Power as the Life that God gives

Pygmalion, who is known for his perverted relationships with the heroes of love, played an important role in Cyprus' culture. It is said that Pygmalion turned his face away from women because he couldn’t endure having lots of women around him. According to some other sources of information, Pygmalion was not only a king but also an artist, namely a sculptor. According to legend, Pygmalion had sex with Aphrodite, and also with the “sculpture girl Galatia” who was given life by Aphrodite. For this reason Pygmalion hated women, and it proves again that Aphrodite had caused it.

The women who lived in the mines area of Cyprus, which was known as “Amyantos”, were called, “Propoitides”. These women suffered from the rage of Aphrodite because they had not shown her any respect. They were therefore assigned by Aphrodite to be prostitutes They lost any feelings of embarrassment and shame, their hearts had turned to stone and they had sex with anyone they met. Pygmalion hated these female creatures called “Propoitides” and didn’t accept them into his home and, rebelling against nature, he started to live alone in his house.

Pygmalion had the desire to create the ideal woman, just like the one in his dreams. Using his great ability for sculpting, he created an extremely beautiful woman out of ivory the colour of snow. Pygmalion could not stop looking at his sculpture with great admiration; he felt a rising passion and fell in love with the statue. He had sex with her, and spoke to her in gentle words. He brought flowers for the statue and clothed her in woman’s clothes; put a ring on her finger, and a sparkling necklace around her neck, which made her even more gorgeous.

Finally, Aphrodite’s big celebration day arrived, which was joyfully celebrated in Cyprus every year. Cypriots believed that love was the most important thing in life and they dressed up white camels before sacrificing them, and burned scented sticks everywhere. Pygmalion paid his respects to the Goddess of love when he joined in Aphrodite’s celebration. He began appealing to her in a pleading voice.

“You are the most beautiful goddess of love; you are the only goddess who has the power to give me a wonderful woman to be my wife, like the sculpture that I made. Please make my wish come true”

Aphrodite heard Pygmalion’s plea with the fibers of her heart, and she had pity on this man who prayed from his heart and loved so deeply. A fire broke out in the temple and flared up three times. This meant that the goddess had made Pygmalion’s wish come true.

He immediately went to his house; he put the sculptured girl onto his bed and began to kiss her. When he started to kiss and touch her, he began to feel her skin hot and her cheeks red. He felt her come alive more and more, the softness of her breasts and her heart beating, but when the sun was rising he saw her eyes looking terrified.

Aphrodite honoured the wedding of Pygmalion and the living statue with her presence. The young couple had a son after a few months. He gave his wife the name “Galatia”, and he called his beloved son “Paphos”. There is a famous Turkish Cypriot village by the name of Galatia now Mehmetçik, in the centre of the Karpaz peninsula. Paphos is a famous harbour city where the temple of Aphrodite stood facing the open sea.

The Famous Philosopher, Zeno of Citium

Brought up in Cyprus

Zeno was a philosopher who made Cypriots feel very proud of him. He was the creator of “Moral Philosophic School of Thought”, which was the most famous school of thought of all the philosophies in history. The school of philosophy called, “Stoicism” is still valid nowadays with its main principle “Control Yourself”.

Zeno, who was the son of a Cypriot merchant in the 3rd century BC, created his own philosophy while still at school, and taught about morality and life for more than sixty years.

The advice that Zeno gave to his students was, “Learn to be indifferent to exterior influences.”

According to stoicism, good and evil depends on oneself. A free person is indifferent to exterior influences.

Stoicism supports destiny; “Everything comes from the universe and is predetermined and cannot be prevented.” Although Stoics are optimistic they believe: “This non-preventable destiny is determined by God.” “God is good and a rationalist.”

When Stoics are asked the question, “What is the Virtue of Areti” they answer, “To accept without questioning what happens in our surroundings”. It is necessary to accept everything in the world with love.

So, what is freedom, does it only consist of the one word? In Stoicism philosophy “Fatalism and its freedom” is interpreted as: “Freedom is to accept all events produced by God’s power, and that is freedom. We can’t change any event. However, when we know an event's meaning and course we can adapt our behavior to the prevailing situation. So freedom improves the interior by ignoring the exterior. Freedom is not to affect, it is to be unaffected.”

Therefore, Stoicism interestingly improves personal freedom; they accept desire as a fundamental virtue of happiness, avoiding the feelings of passion and excitement.

In the past, this philosophy was very popular in Ionia, Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean, and they adopted this moral philosophy, especially in the Roman Empire, before and after the Christian period.

Zeno was a philosopher who lived by the rules that he created. When he was born in the Cypriot trade village Citium, in 334 BC, Cyprus was under the rule of the Phoenitian Empire. He began trading with his father because he was quite successful in the business. He learned by travelling throughout Egypt, Syria, Anatolia and other Aegean countrie.

He was not looking for wealth with his trade. In Stoicism it is said, “People should love the good and the beautiful, and should learn to control themselves. The biggest virtue is to live in accordance with nature.”

Although Zeno taught his philosophy in Athens and usually lived there. He did not accept Athens citizenship for he did not want to give the impression of betraying his own country.

When his ship sank close to Pireus harbour, he was thirty years old. He went to a bookshop in Athens where he met the shop owner who was reading a book about the life of Socrates. He asked the bookseller, “Is there such a person?”. When he heard there was such a person he chose Socrates as a role model, and didn’t occupy himself with anything other than producing philosophies and teaching philosophy until the end of his life. He is the philosopher who said, “We are not short of anything but time.” He lived until the age of 98 years still teaching philosophy, and then one day he fell on to the floor because he tripped over a stone. Lying there he was heard to say, “I’m coming, why are you calling me.” He wanted to die, and it is said that he died at that moment.

The Holy Olive Trees of our Island

Archeological excavations show that the history of olive trees in Cyprus goes back to about 2000 years BC. Throughout history this tree has been very important for Cypriots. For them it is holy because of the valuable products that people make from the olives.

People have created many kinds of beliefs and legends around the olive tree. For example, during the summer season, it is believed that a person would have sweet dreams sleeping under an olive tree. However, if you sleep under the Azarole tree it is believed that you will have bad dreams, and be followed by evil. Generally people believe that the olive tree keeps evil away.

Many olive trees were grown along the coastal regions of Cyprus, on both sides of the Five-Fingers Mountain range. Olive trees grow in the Paphos region, on the outskirts of the Troodos mountains, in the Karpaz and also on the dry and flat plains of Mesarya. The trees are regarded as holy as they deliver not only the wood but also the fruit, which is eaten when still green, or as black olives and finally the olive oil. On our island there still are many olive trees approximately 500,000 pieces. Today, people are fighting to stop the trees being cut down and do everything to protect them. Associations have been established by ordinary people who have an environmental conscience.

Without doubt, the olive tree for the Cypriot people is a most important asset, not only for their economy but also with respect to religion, traditions and culture where it is used as a symbol in rituals. The olive tree is a plant that signifies life to them.

In ancient times Cyprus often attracted conquerors just because of its olive oil. The population usually survived by paying for its protection with olive oil as a sort of tax. In some documents of Tell El Amarna, in the Egyptian archives, it is written that in the year 14 BC a lot of olive oil was sent from Cyprus to Egypt, which the Cypriot King gave to the Egyptian King as a tax payment.

These days, like in the old times, there are olive leaf incense burners in each house. People often burn olive leafs to incense their children, families, lovers, their house and guests with the smoke. This tradition still continues. It is believed that the fumigation is good for protecting wealth, success and health from all kind of evil. Even guests are greeted with the incense ritual. In Cyprus when you come to a house as a guest it is usually the old person in the house that extends the burnt and smoking olive leaf to you to breathe the smoke in to protect you from any kind of evil. It is also believed that a person who puts an olive branch into running water will return home earlier.

In the old civilizations, the olive tree symbolized peace, just as the Turkish Cypriots today see it as a symbol of union, love and serenity. For the last four years an olive festival has been organized in the village of Zeytinlik near Girne/Kyrenia, aiming to protect the trees as a part of natural, cultural richness and to emphasize their signification as a symbol of peace.

The Reasons for the Holiness of Olive Trees

It is a fact that the olive trees were a symbol of peace many years before the Greek period in the Mediterranean. When the big Flood occurred it is said Noah the Prophet survived on a boat with a pair of each living thing, his mission was to save all the species. After a while, the prophet Noah sent out two pigeons from his ship wanting to learn if the flood had subsided. When the pigeons returned they had an olive branch in their beaks, they brought the happy news: “The water has dropped, the flood has subsided and it is possible to return home.”

After that day, the olive branch became the symbol of happiness, peace and existence. Belief in this symbol was carried on by the Arabs, Jews, Greeks and Turkish and throughout all the Mediterranean.

The holy olive tree has become part of a legend in connection with Jesus Christ. One day, when Jesus ran away from his enemies who wanted to kill him, he hid among the branches of an olive tree. After the enemies had gone, he prayed, blessing the olive tree and he said, “You will become a tree to live ten times longer then the one who planted you and you will produce lots of valuable products, making your owner wealthy”. At that moment the olive tree asked, “What if they cut and burn me?” Jesus blessed the tree again to make the smoke that resulted from burning the wood and leaves protect people from evil and jealousy.

From that day on, the leaf of the olive tree is used as incense against evil and the devil. Not only in Zeytinlik village, but all Turkish Cypriots in Cyprus believe in this legend and show respect to Jesus.

Our elders believe that the olive leaves should be blessed with a prayer, “Kulhu vallahi” three times before using as incense. Others say that it is unnecessary to do this because the tree was blessed by Jesus, it is therefore holy and always ready for use.

Incense of the Olive Tree “Oh! That’s good. God Bless You.”

If a person comes to your house, especially someone with blue eyes and an unwavering stare or jealousy, and looks right into your eyes and doesn’t say say “God bless you” you must light the incense burner immediately after they leave the house. A special ceramic incense burner is used to burn the olive leaves, which may be either dry or wet. When the leaf starts to burn, the people breathe in the smoke and are thus protected from all evils. When leaves are burnt, especially wet leaves, and there is a ‘bang bang’ sound, that means there was an evil around but it has gone!

If you want to protect yourself from any evil around you or want to get rid of evil in your body, you should use the incense.

The incense ritual should include yourself, your family, your children, especially the babies, your relatives, and also every room in your home. Our great-great grandparents incensed their animals, their mews, and even the flowers and trees in their garden. When the olive leaves begin to crackle you should read this prayer:

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim Bedad/Begad you are unique Begad you are our glory Eighty thousand ‘Ayet-ül Kürsü’ – ( Prayer from Koran) Stay around my children and my family Keep away envy. Amen.

After a while you incense your family members, and you address them one by one and say “When there is evil, make the leaves crackle and explode for us to know that it is gone” After saying this, do not forget to add the words:

Black eye, Frowning eyebrow, Teeth gaps Hairy calves Smelly mouth Evil eyes Get out and leave our body and our house!

If you believe in it, you will immediately feel relaxed, knowing that you are protected from evil, and your house will be happy and your heart content.

Legends from the Güzelyurt (Morfou) Area

‘Morfou’ is derived from the word, “Omorfi”, which means beautiful in the Greek language, in Turkish it is ‘Güzelyurt’ and means “beautiful land”. Güzelyurt is a lovely town situated on the far west side of the Mesarya flat plains, and as its name already suggests, it is in the center of orchards with orange, lemon and grapefruit trees. There was a Turkish primary school in this town and a small community of Turkish people. In 1958 Doctor Erol, the local Doctor, went to the pharmacy to buy medicine for his mother and he was killed by Greeks who knew him. After that the last few Turkish Cypriot people were forced out of the town.

After 1974 Turkish Cypriots coming from the South, mainly from the Paphos area, were settled in this town. Today Güzelyurt is as safe and beautiful as ever and has gained even more importance being on the cross roads to Lefke European University and Middle East Technical University in Kalkan

The Legend of St. Mamas

On the north-west entrance of Güzelyurt, one comes across the St. Mamas Monastery, situated next to the Ersin Paşa Mosque and the Icon Museum. Although it is on the Turkish side, the TRNC government has turned this church into a museum by honouring and showing respect for its Saint. The church built during the Byzantine period, was restored and expanded during the Lusignan and Venetians periods.

Saint Mamas, after whom the church was named, was a priest born in Cyprus. On one of the icons in the church he is shown riding a lion with a lamb in his arms. According to the legend, Saint Mamas lived in a cave in the area at one time. At that time the Roman duke ordered everybody to pay tax to him. However, Mamas said that as he lived in a cave he had no obligations whatsoever towards the government. Due to his refusal to pay he was arrested by soldiers. While they were on their way to Nicosia (Lefkoşa), something very mysterious occurred. A lion jumped in front of the group and was about to kill a lamb. Saint Mamas raised his hand and the lion stopped and let the lamb go. Saint Mamas picked the lamb up into his arms, sat on the lion's back and thus he arrived in front of the duke’s throne. When the duke saw this, he was surprised and recognized the holiness of Saint Mamas. It was duly recorded that Saint Mamas was exempted from paying tax.

According to a Greek legend, during the Ottoman period Saint Mamas' tomb was robbed by tomb robbers. So every year on the anniversary of that sad day, tears run from Meryem Ana’s (Holy Mary) eyes in a picture on the wall, and drop on top of the tomb.

For the last three years, in the first week of September, Greek Cypriots have come to Güzelyurt from the South to celebrate St. Mamas Day. The legends around St. Mamas make us think: “Are religious places sacred and to be protected?” We say “Yes” and pay our respect to these places.

Legend of Değirmenlik or The Legend of the Silver Bowl

When you travel eastwards from Lefkoşa you come to a village which is famous for its flour mills and its river which comes down from the Beşparmak Mountain. The name of this village is Değirmenlik.

In the old times the farmers who lived in Lefkoşa, and other close villages, used to go to these mills which used water to turn the wheels to grind the grains. Not only the flour mills were driven by the river water but it was also used to water the large olive groves and the fruit and vegetable gardens. In the Değirmenlik area the famous green leafed vegetable called molehiya was grown, it is also known by its Arabic name “Muhliye” (in Latin moserella). Unfortunately, this river which used to carry lots of water, is today almost dry as the water level in the Beşparmak Mountains is dropping constantly.

In the Değirmenlik area there are lots of stories in the memories of local people. The best one is undoubtedly the one about the silver bowl. According to the legend, a girl from the village one day went to get water from the river and found a silver bowl which she brought home. A long time passed. Then one day people came from Anatolia, most probably from the Anamur (Mersin) area, to visit their relatives in Değirmenlik. When they saw the silver bowl they said that it belonged to them. It was the very same bowl their daughter had dropped in Anamur during water filling and it had reappeared here. Maybe this legend came from the Romans before the Turkish times. No doubt the Turkish people like it the most because today it is told as a Turkish legend.

There are many versions of this legend. In some versions there is a bread bin which falls in to the river in Anatolia and was found again in the river of Değirmenlik, instead of a bowl. Whatever happens in this or this type of legend the reality is that Anatolia and Cyprus are geographically connected, and have a strong cultural relationship.

How the harvested wheat turned into a heap of soil

According to traditional beliefs, Cyprus sank deep into the sea and rose again seven times. One time the island did not rise completely; only the Beşparmak Mountain Range and the Troodos Mountains rose and between these elevated parts remained the sea. It is believed that the seabed between the mountains rose again very slowly, until it became the plains today called Mesarya reaching from Güzelyurt to the Famagusta bay.

Except for some mixed villages there were mostly Turkish villages in the Mesarya plains, because the Turkish people who came from Anatolia were shepherds, and they much preferred the plains for pasture land. Before farming machines were introduced, wooden ploughs were used in farming. The villages farmers used to grow products such as wheat, barley, oats, lettuce and vegetables. During the last fifty years the Mesarya plains have become drier and less productive, due to extensive machine-farming and the tractor-worked soil which loses its moisture. However, people in these areas still continue to work in the fields and grow grain, and tend their animals.

When travelling the Mesarya plains from Güzelyurt/Morfou to Gazi Magusa/Famagusta, in times before the farming machines were used, one could see many soil hills. There is a legend connected with these hills and parents often tell it to their children on the right occasion to teach them morals.

Once upon a time there lived a rich farmer in a village on the Mesarya plains. When he had finished harvesting the grain he stored it in a big heap. Contently he sat with his wife to enjoy their good luck. Suddenly, a bearded old man, probably Hızır Aleyhis Selam (Dervish/The Holy Apostle) appeared. He greeted them and asked: “Allah aşkına, bir avuç buğday!” “One handful of wheat for the sake of God.” The farmer answered without moving from his chair: “Allah vere!” “God gave nothing!”

After this exchange of words, the Dervish suddenly disappeared. On waking up the next morning, the farmer and his wife saw that the big heap of wheat had turned into a big heap of soil. The couple had been nasty and greedy to an old man, so the dervish judged them guilty and punished them to teach them a lesson.

This legend was passed on by the people who have seen the heaps of soil and as it contains a moral value that is still often remembered and told. Those who are wealthy should not look down on others and selfishly sit on their wealth, but help others and feed the poor and old.

After the introduction of tractors and big farming machines, the heaps of soil between Yılmazköy and Gönendere disappeared one after the other.

How the Greedy Husband and Wife were turned to Stone

There is one important version of this legend told about a conically shaped hill between the villages Hisarkoy and Kozan. Two big stones sit on top of this hill and incite a fantasy in people. They tell a story about a husband and his wife who turned into stone because they didn’t give one handful of wheat to the Dervish; thus their bodies turned into stone and were placed on the top of the hill.

As a Turkish proverb says: “If you give a little, you can lose only one part of your heart, but if you give too much you will lose your wealth.” This means that, in the old times it was not easy to earn ones living, and even if it hurts, you should help poor people and give them at least a little, but never too much.

We are going to look at another version of this legend.

The Legend of the Formation of the Beşparmak Mountain

Travelling on the road from Lefkoşa to Famagusta, one admiringly looks at the Beşparmak Dağı (Five Finger Mountain). How marvelous it is, isn’t it? We will tell you now how it all came about and you can tell it to your children, so it won't be forgotten in the future generations.

Once upon a time in a village on the southern slopes of the Girne/Kyrenia mountain range, lived a really beautiful girl. She was so famous for her beauty, that the young men from the surrounding villages used to change their route in order to see her.

There were two boys who were in love with this girl. One of them was known as the good-hearted boy, the other as the bad-hearted boy. They made a bet to find out who would marry the girl. In this competition they decided to have a duel. As a fighting place they chose the side of a swamp in the Mesarya. When the fighting started, the bad-hearted boy thought of a plan to overpower his adversary. While they were fighting he drove the good-hearted boy into the swamp and injured him. The good-hearted boy desperately tried to escape the sucking swamp, and at the same time defend himself. With the last of his power he raised his hand which held his sword. The sword fell from his hand and when he went under only the five fingers of his hand stayed outside the mud, pointing upwards to the sky.

Time passed and the swamp dried out and very slowly grew to become a mountain and the good-hearted boy’s hand with his five fingers pointing upwards grew with the mountain.

Today, when people see this mountain while travelling in the Mesarya plains, or from the other side on the northern coast highway, they think to themselves “Good-hearted people never disappear even after they die, they rise as a symbol of goodness, sublimity and of monumental status; thus their lives continue”.

How a Vineyard Became a Salt Lake

İskele/Larnaka is a harbour on the south coast, the first part of the island to be seized by the Ottomans in 1570. The harbour city İskele is famous for its Turkish Tower and its mosque; it was also the capital of the island for many years. The salty lake that lies between the town of İskele/Larnaka and the Hala Sultan Tekke was, according to hearsay, once a vineyard. The vineyard owners being husband and wife were known to have hearts of stone.

One day, a Dervish, travelling from İskele, stopped at the vineyard to quench his thirst and to ask for just one small bunch of grapes. Feeling hopeful, he arrived at the owners’ cottage. The old woman inside the cottage was feeding cotton on to the spinning wheel. The Dervish asked her, “I am so thirsty and hungry, can you give me a bunch of grapes?” Without raising her head, the old woman found an excuse and said: “Allah vere-God gave none this year.” because she didn’t want to give him any grapes.

The Dervish(or Hızır) without saying another word, kept on walking to the Hala Sultan, but he could not stop himself from cursing, “I hope your vineyard turns into a salt lake, and you also turn into a stone, you and your spinning wheel, so everyone who sees you will throw a stone at you.”

As soon as he finished his words, the woman and her spinning wheel were turned into stone, and at the same time the vineyard turned into a salt lake.

Until recently, people passing through Larnaka/İskele to visit the Hala Sultan, repeated the curse by throwing stones at her and saying, “People shouldn’t be proud of what they have, and they shouldn’t tell a lie at anytime.”

The Legend of Hala Sultan and the Stone that Comes from Mecca or the Hira Mountain

Without doubt, one of the most holy Islamic temples on the island for Cypriot Turks is the Hala Sultan Tekke. Hala Sultan is like the Kaaba in Mecca, the most important pilgrimage place in the Islamic world. Everyone, at least once in their life, should visit the holy place and pray and make a wish. This holy practice or pilgrimage is usually undertaken during the religious Bayram days.

During the Ottoman times, the sailors of ships travelling through the Mediterranean sea (Akdeniz), used to greet Hala Sultan, by firing their guns when coming near. When the Ottomans conquered Cyprus, their leaders learned from Arabic history books that there was a martyr's temple on the island, called “Umm-ul Haram”, in Arabic Green Island (Cezire-ul Hadra). They searched for it, and when they found the burial place, they built a tomb. Later they added a mosque with two minarets. Today, the mosque has only one of the minarets left.

To visit the Hala Sultan Shrine is a holy act and Cypriot Muslims visit the place, especially during Bayram and religious days. In the temple area is a large garden with a place to sacrifice animals where people can pray and make wishes. As the temple is in the southern part of the island, the Turkish Muslims had to wait for many years to worship there. However, recent agreements with the South have enabled the Turkish Cypriots to visit the Hala Sultan again.

There exists a lot of stories about who was Umm-ul Haram, also named “Hala Sultan”, or “Big Aunt of MOHAMMED” by the Cypriots. In most of them it is thought that Ummul Haram died many years after Mohammed’s death (Mohammed, the Messenger), so she can’t be his “Nursing Mother- Süt Halası”. (Turks say Nursing Mother, Arabs say Nursing Aunt). Mohammed’s Nursing Aunt.

It is said Umm-ul Haram once put her head on to Mohammed’s knees to have her lice picked, and she fell asleep. When she woke up she told Mohammed that in her dream she found herself on a beautiful island, and that she didn’t want to leave the island. Interpreting her dream, Mohammed said ,“You will cross the sea when you have grown up, and you will die for Islam and be buried there.” This statement by Mohammed is recorded in the Hadith, Mohammed’s sayings.

İn some other versions of this legend, Umm-ul Haram and Mohamed had changed places and it was Mohamed who was dreaming in the lap of his nursing aunt. Whatever, Umm-ul Haram is a well respected martyr in the İslamic world.

According to the legend, she must have been quite old when she came to the island with the Arab raiders, and it is told that she fell from a horse and died for Islam. She was put to rest in the old antique tomb which was made from three stones, two vertical stones with one big stone on top, which was horizontal. Hala Sultan’s holiness, however, is related to this stone. Many stories are told about this stone, one states that the stone came from Mecca or the Hira mountain. It was seen afloat in midair over the tomb to give shade over the Hala Sultan's tomb. Another legend says that Umm-ul Haram bought the huge stone from a priest in Jerusalem and brought it to the island. In another interpretation, a pregnant woman, who saw the stone afloat in the air, suffered a miscarriage; because of this they put two other vertical stones to support the big stone which is today hidden by a curtain. Turkish Cypriots who visit the temple can go as far as this curtain. They may touch the curtain and make prayers and some wishes, or at least they may open the curtain a little bit and try to see something of the big stone in the darkness.

For many years Hala Sultan has been regarded a religious symbol and a holy Islamic place in the order of Mecca where Muslims can pay their respect to Mohammed the Messenger. All Muslims believe that, “We are under the protection of Mecca and Islam” by the existence of this of stone.

Famagusta/Gazi Magusa, a city with history alive

The city of Famagusta (in Turkish Gazi Mağusa) is surrounded by walls, two thousand years old. It was built in the Famagusta Bay on the west coast of Cyprus and has for a long time been popular as trading town.

The walled city of Famagusta is not similar to any others. It has square shaped walls with deep trenches around them. There is no doubt that its richest and wealthiest times were in the Lusignan period under the reign of the its kings. There were 365 churches, many palaces, trading houses and baths built inside the city walls.

It was the most important harbour of the Eastern Mediterranean sea. It became rich, not only through its importance as trade city, but also as cultural and art center. Famagusta's significance continued during the Turkish and British times. The British used it as an army base and trade harbour with connections to their colonies in Egypt and the Far East. Unfortunately when the British built the new big harbour along the city walls the beautiful view from the castle to the sea was destroyed.

This strong walled city was handed to the Ottomans after a one-year-siege in 1571. Today, the entrance at Land gate is an arched bridge of stone, which was built during the British times, replacing the Asma Bridge (Hanging Bridge) leading into the walled city. The entrance gate is still known as Akkule (the White Tower), relating to the surrender of the Venetians when they put the white flag on top of the Tower to signal to the Ottomans that they would give up the city.

Apart from many other things that make the city popular, the St. Nicolas Cathedral in the middle of the city is a most beautiful example of Gothic architecture. In this church all the Lusignan Kings were crowned. Today the building is named the “Lala Mustafa Paşa Mosque”. The huge historical tree in front of the mosque is almost as old as the building and is a rare Cümbez tree (Figus Sicomorus).

The other historical place and the story connected with it, which added to the city's popularity, is the Othello Tower with its castle and palace. Shakespeare’s famous drama ‘Othello’ took place in this tower, a play that shows the power of love, betrayal and regret. We will later return to Othello’s story.

How the Lions at The Sea Gate turned into Stone

In Famagusta there are many kinds of legends about the stone lions at the sea gate on the right side of Othello’s Tower.

In one legend it is said, that there were once two lions, a mother and its cub, but when the mother lion tried to eat its own baby both were turned into stone. Unfortunately, today only one statue can be seen, that is of the mother lion, the cub has gone.

There is another legend connected with the mother lion. Once a year on an unknown evening, the mother lion opens her mouth and it is believed if you put your hand inside you will secure your chance of finding treasure or making riches. Therefore, many Famagusta tourists cannot stop themselves from placing their hand into the lion’s mouth hoping for a good fortune.

The Epic Story of Canbulat Paşa

The legend of Canbulat is about the battle to conquer Famagusta and without doubt Canbulat Paşa (Pasha: Admiral) plays the biggest role in it.

The “Canbulat Temple”, is located under the tower of the new harbour gate. Canbulat’s legend has not been forgotten in the Turkish Cypriot community and was duly passed on from generation to generation as an example of heroic misfortune.

According to the legend the Venetians had installed an iron spinning wheel studded with blades into the gate to cut enemies into pieces if they attacked the city. The Pasha from Kilis named Canbulat Bey drove his horse with heroic will towards the gate with the iron wheel, because the siege had lasted too long. As he attacked, his head was cut off by the wheel blades and fell to the ground. Canbulat Bey picked his head up, put it under his arm, and continued to fight and lead his men to victory. When the fighting was done and the walled city conquered he lay down and died for his country and for peace.

There are two important lessons for Turkish Cypriots in this legend, which play an important role in building up their national consciousness. One is to be proud of those Ottoman warriors who were their heroes and won the war and the second one, important for ordinary people, is: If a person desires something so much with all his/her heart, no power will prevent him/her from obtaining it. Even with the head lost, in his/her subconsciousness the deed will be continued until it is fulfilled. Canbulat Bey is the best example of this.

Is Bragadino a Hero or a Traitor?

With the conquering of Nicosia/Lefkoşa completed, the Ottoman navy surrounded the city of Famagusta from the land and sea in September 1570. The Venetians would not hand over the city and they decided to continue their defense, because the city was very well protected. It took nearly one year to conquer the city. In the end the officer Bragadino, who defended the walled city like a hero, decided to start talks about the conditions of surrender of the city. He realized no help would be coming from the Republic of Venice.

He announced the conditions of their surrender: For all the Italian soldiers and officers and their families in the city, the guarantee of free retreat with their horses; their own wives and their children to join them freely.

These wishes were granted by the Ottoman commander Lala Mustafa Pasha. Bragadino and his wife, his daughters and horses would leave freely. The Greeks and the paid Albanian soldiers who wished to leave the city were also allowed to leave. The Greek inhabitants who were leaving were allowed to take their property with them and were granted freedom and protection by the Turks.

A condition of surrender on the other side was to set free the fifty Turkish pilgrims who were taken hostages by Venetians on their way to Mecca. Venetian families could take with them any of their own personal belongings. In addition all people who wanted to leave could go to the island of Crete on Turkish ships. The people who wanted to stay in the country were allowed to keep their property and were offered protection by the Ottoman army. There were fourteen ships ready in the harbour to carry the people who had decided to leave. The sick and injured Venetians, five cannons and three rare horses had permission to leave, along with their belongings, which were already put on board the ships.

Lala Mustafa Pasha invited Bragadino to come to his palace as he wanted to say goodbye to him. Bragadino went to the Pasha’s residence with forty of his soldiers. He was received with great courtesy. They had laid aside their arms and were introduced into the presence of Lala Mustafa Pasha. The meeting passed respectfully and while they conversed, Lala Mustafa Pasha asked him: “where are the fifty Turkish prisoners who were taken prisoner on their way to Mecca by the Venetian navy from Famagusta”.

Bragadino’s answer caused a freezing atmosphere, and was shocking to Mustafa Pasha and his people around him. The answer made Lale Mustafa Pasha really angry. He was very tired after the year-long war, and could therefore not control his temper and he ordered that Bragadino and his people be killed immediately. Why? Bragadino's answer was this: “All the hostages are dead. The Venetian noble men kept them as slaves in their houses but in the night when Famagusta was taken, they killed some of the captured Muslim pilgrims with their own hands, I also killed a slave in my household.” Hearing the truth, Lala Pasha was really shocked, and he stood up in anger, and ordered ten of the Venetian officers’ heads to be cut off.

After the agreement was broken, Bragadino was brought to the Namik Kemal Square, which is its name today, and was executed by hanging. His skin was then taken off and filled with hay. His dead body was taken around the city to show the punishment, for revenge. The punishment did not stop there, they bound his body to the ship's mast and put his head on top of the mast, and showed it all along the Syrian coast. Then it was taken to Istanbul.

The Italian people say for Bragadino's justice, “Concitato maggiormente dale parole”, which means “he aimed higher than his words.” A proof that he was regarded as guilty of betrayal. In Cyprus we use this proverb, “Don’t say a big word which is longer than you”, or to know ones own limits and capabilities. (To know how far one can go).

Bragadino was thus punished, but ten years after his execution, the body was given to his family via the Italian consulate in Istanbul.

Although the Pasha was really upset by Bragadino's betrayal, he didn’t touch the population in Famagusta, but he removed all the Christians from the city. From that day Famagusta became a Turkish city. Even after 350 years when the British tried to settle Greeks into the city they could not succeed. In the 1974 war, Famagusta became famous for its defense against Greek attacks, and was renamed Gazi Magusa. (The Martyr Mağusa).

The Tragedy of Othello

William Shakespeare placed his drama Othello in Famagusta and the Cypriot people are very conscious and proud of it. The play shows Shakespeare's extraordinary talent as playwright. The officers' citadel in which the tragedy surrounding Othello and his beautiful wife took place, is on the left side of the sea gate of Famagusta castle.

Shakespeare took the idea to create the drama “Othello” from the story of Desdemona written by an Italian sailor (with the Greek meaning ‘unfortunate girl’). With much success he integrated the characters and their conflicts. For example, the conflict between black and white men and the conflict between good and bad, represented by the contradicting characters of Iago and Othello. In Cyprus everybody knows the legend, whether they have seen the play or not, they at least know about Desdemona’s extreme beauty and her death by the hand of her beloved husband, due to his jealousy.

The story or the legend told in the play is as follows:

The black officer Othello was from Morocco,(that is why his nickname was Moro) and was known as a hero. He was sent to Cyprus as a Venetian army head officer, during the time when Cyprus was under pressure by the Ottoman navy. Othello’s wife Desdemona fell in love with him because of his virtue, rather than his heroism. When they arrived in Famagusta they learned that the Ottoman navy had disappeared because of the bad weather conditions. However, tragedy and not happiness, was waiting for them on this beautiful island.

There was a sergeant and officer named Cassio, close to Moro, who had a bad character. In the play the character Othello represented the baroque typology of a hero with a good and great character.

Desdemona and Othello were very different in character. They had no time to get to know each other before they got married. Desdemona was a hot blooded woman and she said what she thought. She had a clean and soft heart, and she was deeply sensitive, but fearful and dependent on her husband. She admired Othello and loved him dearly. She couldn’t bear it to see him ill or cold. When he had a headache she put a handkerchief to his head like a mother, she had motherly feelings for him. This handkerchief would be the one object that would make Othello very jealous. Desdemona and Othello’s love, shows the interest Shakespeare took in the unconditional side of love. Such love carries in itself pain, as much as happiness.

The message in the play that is delivered to the audience is the monstrous side of jealousy.

In the play, the characters of Iago and his officer Cassio represent the typical image of Venetians in those days. In their world, honesty and sincere love didn’t exist, money was the idol and they had become slaves to this idol. So, on one side, there is Othello with his clean heart and good-heartedness in contradiction to Iago’s unreliable character measuring everything by the value of money.

Iago saw Desdemona’s handkerchief in Cassio’s hand, so he made Othello believe that his wife was in love with Cassio. Othello was madly jealous and in this madness he decided to kill his wife.

Today as a tourist or as Cypriot you can go and see the palace. The visitors feel upset about the destiny of Desdemona, and learn from it that extreme love is very near to sudden jealousy. Even while feeling sad for them the deep love of Desdemona and Othello remains a human fact.

The tragedy that occurred in the Othello Tower of Famagusta harbour happened a long time ago. Who knows how many similar situations exist every day in how many houses?

St. Barnabas’s Bible

The St. Barnabas Monastery Museum is eight kilometres away from Famagusta in the South East, and two kilometres inland from the ancient Salamis city. We will now hear the story of Joseph who was one of Jesus’ first students.

Joseph was born in Salamis, the son of a rich family. Joseph travelled to Palestine and visited Jerusalem. Whilst there, he met a young carpenter by the name of Jesus who called the people to listen to him about a new religious belief. Joseph regularly attended meetings and dinners to listen to Jesus who continued to teach inspite of growing persecution. In the end Jesus and his twelve followers met at the “The Last Supper” after which Jesus was betrayed and crucified as we all know.

After the death of Jesus the twelve disciples began to spread Christianity. Joseph came to Paphos, a city on the west coast of Cyprus, together with his friend Paul. They tried to convert the Roman leader Sergius Paulus into a Christian. Joseph then went back to his native city Salamis where he was stoned to death by the Salamis Jewish people whilst trying to teach the new belief of Christianity. It is thought that his body was hidden in the hills and then thrown into the sea. He was, in fact, buried in a swamp and for the Christians.

St. Barnabas’s students, who had watched the killing and burial, took the body from the swamp and buried it in an underground cave on the west side of Salamis. They laid a copy of the Gospel written by St. Matthew on his chest. For many years, the place of his burial was kept secret, so in the end nobody knew its location. 432 years later Pope Anthemios said that he had seen the grave in his dream, and he wanted it to be opened. When the grave was opened, St. Mathew’s Gospel was there, and they knew for certain that it was the burial place of St. Barnabas. After this discovery, Pope Anthemios went to Constantinople to inform the Byzantium King Zeno about it and with his approval the “Cyprus Orthodox Church” became independent. The King gave enough loans to build a monastery in the place where the St. Barnabas’ grave was.

The monastery was built in 477 BC and it became one of the most important religious places for Greek Cypriot Orthodox people. The monastery has a big church garden and three rooms for the monks to use. The monks and priests living in the Monastery, brought fame to the place by making wooden statutes and painting icons and selling them all over the world.

The monastery today is a religious location and an archeological as well as icon museum. You can see the oldest and most famous Orthodox icons displayed in this museum.

Why the Apostle Andreas is Holy

The monastery on the peninsula of Karpaz, is called Apostle Andreas Monastery by the Greek Cypriots and is called Hz. Suleyman’s Miracle by the Turkish Cypriots but for both it is a holy site. Cypriots who want to bring forward a wish for good health for themselves or their children, and even if they have problems walking, try to visit this holy place at least once in their lives.

This place has become holy because of the water from a spring that slips through the cracks of rocks near the church. This water is accepted as “Holy and Sacred” by both Muslims and Christians. So a church and monastery were built at the place where St. Andreas (Aziz Andreas) is believed to have lived.

The Apostle Andreas is one of the first people who believed in Jesus. He travelled to many cities and countries around the Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea areas to spread Christianity, and indeed he did a lot of work for Christianity.

When the Romans learned that the Apostle was working for Christianity, they captured him and decided to take him to Rome for punishment. They boarded a ship and sailed towards Karpaz peninsula. The captain panicked when he realized that there was no water on the ship. The Christian slaves were tied to the ship oars with chains, but Andreas said, “Don’t worry I can find water for you,” so he was released from his chains and he went ashore with some members of the crew. There, they discovered water coming from a hole between the rocks and pouring into the sea. They removed some rocks with a pickaxe and made the hole large enough to reach the water. They took some of it aboard the ship so the sailors could quench their thirst and survive. After this, the captain gave the Apostle his freedom to live there for the rest of his life. He left the ship with his friends and stayed there. Ships that passed this place gave them food, and in return filled their tanks with water. With Christianity the legend of Andreas’s Miracle spread too.

It is believed that the water has healing properties and because of this the monastery became a religious site. For the Muslims this holy water which saved the lives of sailors is known as the Hazreti Suleyman’s Miracle.

It is believed that lame people drinking from this spring would throw their sticks away and walk. In the old days, people visited the monastery, drank the water and also wished for other people who couldn’t travel. They filled their bottles with the holy water and took them to them in their houses. Muslims also lit candles like Christians did but it was mainly the Christians who gave presents to the monastery along with their wishes and bottles full of olive oil .

Richard the Lionheart

The British, French and European kingdoms decided to go on a third crusade mission. Selahattin Eyyubi had recaptured Jerusalem and this hurt the Europeans' honour. A large crusader navy, headed by Richard the Lionheart, joined the fleet in Italy. King Richard had often proved that he deserved this name in many heroic deeds. They were in the middle of their journey, when an unexpected April storm placed the navy in a dangerous situation. After the storm King Richard realized that three of his ships had been lost. On one of them were his own sister and his fiancé, the King of Navorre’s daughter Berengeria. Two days later he received the news that the ships were in the Limassol area. The princesses’ ship was safely away from the coast but the others were wrecked on the rocks. The Cypriots collected the wreckage from the sunken ships and soldiers who had survived were put into prison. The bad-hearted King of Cyprus, called Isaac Comnen, refused permission for the ladies to land on the island.

When he heard of this, Richard became very angry and decided to attack these rude people. He said: “If unchallenged one may say NO to a request, if challenged at gunpoint, one agrees to everything .”

When his ship arrived in Limassol he and his men threw temselves into the water and swam ashore. He destroyed Isaac’s army, which mainly consisted of local Greeks forced into service. After this was done he freed his sister and his fiancé and he then took Kyrenia castle. The Jerusalem King, Guy De Lusignan, helped Richard and finally they captured the dishonoured King Isaac at the Kapraz peninsula. The bad-hearted King didn’t have a choice but to surrender, but under the one condition that he would not to be put in chains. Richard, however, fettered him with a silver chain which was made from melted silver containers and plates from the King's own palace. The King accepted Richard's condition. After this Richard the Lionheart married his fiancé in Limassol. Berengeria was the first famous British queen who was crowned in Cyprus.

Richard the Lionheart, whose first and main mission was to carry on to Jerusalem, took Cyprus by evaluating this as a good opportunity and he then sold the island to the rich Templer Knights. The prize he asked was fair and was meant to just cover his travel expenses to the Holy Land.

Luckily, Richard the Lionheart realized very soon that he had made a mistake in giving the island to the Templers. They had treated the islanders badly, so he cancelled the treaty and gave the island to his best friend Guy de Lusignan, King of Jerusalem, which made the island into one of the most colourful countries.

The Legends Related to St. Hilarion Castle

Without doubt, St. Hilarion is the most famous castle among the three castles on Cyprus. The other two castles being Buffavento and Kantara, all built during the Roman times to protect Cyprus from pirates coming from the southern seas to the northern shores.

St. Hilarion castle is situated on the north side of the Kyrenia Mountains, about three miles from the city of Kyrenia. It stands at 650-670 meters above sea level and was built during 6th century BC. It was named after the monk Hilarion, who had lived in Palestine for 48 years. After the Arabs took Jerusalem, he escaped to Cyprus and lived in a cave in the Kyrenia mountains and had a peaceful life until the end of his days.

In the Roman, Byzantine and Venetian times the castle was used as a religious site. In the course of time palaces were added so the royal families could spend the summer in the cool mountains.

The Legends told in relation to St. Hilarion and the Templos/Zeytenlik Village

When we think of St. Hilarion and Kyrenia castle, we are reminded of the Turkish village of Templos which lies in between.

In this small village, St. Hilarion is known as “The one hundred and one houses, Yüzbir Evler”. The horses of the Templer Hospitalier Knights were looked after here and in the well kept gardens many different types of vegetables were grown.

According to Robert Gunnis, the historian, an army was located here in the middle of the 15th century. After the Templers and the Venetians evacuated the Ottoman people moved into the village.

It is said, that during the times of the Templer Knights there was a tunnel from St. Hilarian leading to Kyrenia castle which passed though the village. Although there isn’t any real proof of its existence some tunnel remains were found by the river. Some other underground tunnel sections, which don’t lead anywhere, were found but at least they provide some confirmation of the villagers claim.

Emete Nesim, who knew everything about the village, told the legends to her son Ali, who is presently including them in his writings.

The Secret of the 101 st House

The St.Hilarion castle, south of Zeytinlik (Templos), and up on the mountain was known as "One Hundred and One Houses" by the villagers. According to the legend, one day a group of young people went to visit the castle. Accidently, it was the "Hajet Day", the day for the acceptance of prayers. Once in 40 years, the doors of the 101st house would open. The young people found them open and went in. İnside they found immense riches. “Since we are human beings we have all drunk uncooked milk” “Hepimiz çiğ süt içtik.” That means we are all animals and greedy. If everyone had taken only one thing it wouldn’t have mattered. However, those who took the crown also wanted the ceptre and the one who had the ceptre wanted the sword. The chaos was complete. Suddenly the doors closed on them and they fell asleep. They slept for 40 years and, when the same special day arrived, the doors opened again and they returned to the village. They noticed that their children were 40 years older than when they had left. Their parents had all passed away. As a legend teller I went to the castle on the Hajet Day but unfortunately I was not offered the same opportunity! This legend teaches us not to be greedy and not to behave like animals. The Turkish people who entered the village after the Venetians left have been tending the land ever since. On the mountain slopes they bred cows and sheep. The legend of the Queen and the shepherd is still told today in the village.

The Queen – Regina of the Castle

The Lusignans converted the name of the castle to Dieu d’Amour meaning the Castle of the God of Love. Probably there was a Temple on the peak of the mountain dedicated to Aphrodite in the early times. One of the other known names of the castle was “The Castle of Regaena (or Regina)-The Castle of the Queen. Regaena or Recina (Regina) in Turkish, is the person who had built the castle.

According to a legend, St.Hilarian Castle was built by Regaena, who was very beautiful but had a heart of stone. During the construction of the castle she sat on the top of a rock and watched the workers. There were hundreds of workers in a line from the seashore to the top of the mountain, carrying sand, stone, and water. At last, when the castle was completed, she went to her chamber and called the workers one by one and threw them from the high window in the tower on to the sharp rocks. She did the same with the guards. It is said that she was afraid to have anyone left alive who knew the hidden paths and the rooms of the castle. The Gothic window facing to the north-west is known as the “Window of the Queen.”

Today in the village, when somebody has a fit of rage, he/she is warned “Don’t be a queen.” or ”don’t behave like a Regina” In those days most of the shepherd boys in the village gave their best dogs names like “Regina, Recis or Rex”

THE QUEEN’S HAİR

101 Houses Castle had a very beautiful Queen, but she was alone and unhappy. She used to spend most of her time combing her long blond hair sitting in the window facing the hills of the village. Sometimes she used to walk in the woods and gather wild flowers . There was also a goatherd living in these hills. Although few people had seen him, it is said that he was as ugly as you can imagine and smelt like a billy goat but he used to play his pipe sweetly and touchingly. According to the legend, the queen being affected by the tunes of the goatherd's pipe, not only found the goatherd, but also fell in love with him. From then on they met frequently. The queen spent most of her nights in the arms of this hairy and goat-smelling goatherd. As the time passed, the Queen gave birth to a little girl with golden hair and sky-blue eyes. When the girl turned sixteen she was more beautiful than her mother. This was the princess of the "101 Houses". The princess often used to go for a walk to gather tulips, anemones and wild flowers in the hillsides. The Queen told her daughter never to wonder too far but one day, the girl, hearing the tune of the pipe, became curious, and rushed to search for the goatherd. At last, she found him and from then on met him frequently. The princess was very happy with him. With passing days the Queen realized the difference in her daughter and when she asked her, her daughter told her the whole story. She confessed that she knew the ugly goatherd of Templos and told her mother that she loved him very much, indeed, she carried his baby. Hearing the truth, the comb fell from the Queen's hand and she threw herself from the window of the palace on to the sharp rocks of St. Hillarion. This legend is still told today in the village and when people from the village see the golden rays of the sun shine through the clouds on the top of the mountain, they murmur:

     ”Look there! The Queens hair can be seen!”	

The Secret of the Venetian Water Bridge

Now, we will turn to the village people and their lifestyle.

Travellers reported that in the middle of the last century there were rich vineyards and olive gardens in the village. Olive oil was the biggest income for the village. Until recent times tobacco, potatoes, groundnut, cotton, sesame, corn and wheat were grown in the village. Water came from the mountain, where there were two water springs and it was distributed to all the houses and gardens via water channels. Today, although the springs have dried out and the water channels are destroyed, the Venetian aquaducts still exist from the 15th Century in the river east of the village.

There was a small church, the ‘Lovers Church’ (Phaneromenie Church) on a hill, and nearby was a waterfall and the water ran through the village with a small bridge over it. The builder had to build this bridge several times, as it collapsed every time. One night, he dreamed that he could avoid the bridge from breaking if he sacrificed his son. Following this dream, he sacrificed his son and buried him under the foundations of the bridge. From that day on, the bridge stayed upright. The waterfall eventually became dry and the water channels that brought the water to the village lost their function, but the small bridge is still there.

This legend tells us that a person wanting something desperately, making every effort, and giving his/her heart, and even life, to achieve something. it will last forever and ever. This legend contains high educational and morale values.

Where the Tradition of Blood Sacrifice Comes From

The tradition of sacrificing sheep during “Kurban Bayram” comes from the story of the prophet Abraham (Hz. İbrahim) which is believed in many religions. Abraham/Hz. İbrahim, the prophet, promised God that if he had a son he would sacrifice him. Although he was old in his eighties, his wife gave him a son. When his son became a young man he remembered his promise, and he decided to keep it.

He took his son up the mountain to carry out the sacrifice. The great Creator understood Abraham's determination and so he sent him a goat from heaven to sacrifice instead.

In other words it means that we should not forget our promises to God and we should not waver in our belief of His power and His existence. Muslim Cypriots hold on to their sincerest tradition of belief, that is, you have to make sacrifices to be protected by God. The social side of the sacrifice is important for them. Everyone should understand that if you own something, other people also have a right to it. So, once a year, at Kurban Bayram, people sacrificed a goat, sheep, or a camel and distributed it to the poor, in order to protect their wealth and their family members.

Luckily, today this inhuman tradition has changed into donating to childcare homes or helping social aid organizations with financial help. If the aim is the same, is it important how we practice it?

A Drop of Blood to the Foundations

In the old times, the houses for newly married couples were built with the help of collective labour. The foundations were dug together, and the materials for the house were donated. It is a tradition to give some drops of blood into the foundations and this is still done today by sacrificing a sheep or sometimes a chicken or a ram. The purpose was to protect the house from all evil and to make it strong for a happy family.

You should continue this tradition. Some drops of blood will add significance to your work, and will cause you to put all your heart into it; and who knows, it may also protect you from all sorts of evil eyes.

The Tomb of Garip Dede

Now we will tell you the legend of the 'Garip Dede Tomb', situated in the centre of the Templos village. There are two legends competing with each other. The other name of the Tomb, is Şehida or Shehida, meaning “He died for İslam”. When the Turkish people first came to the village, some of their tribe didn’t want to settle there, arguing that there was no good drinking water. The chief tribesman, Dervish, went close to a huge monk's bush (Vitex agnus castus- monks pepper) and said, “The roots of this bush reach deep into water”. They dug a well in that spot and found good drinking water so they settled right there. When the old Dervish died he was buried between the well and the monk's bush. The other version of the legend is of a later date: A man named Mustafa, living next to the 'Shehida' had closed his olive mill because of a drought and opened a coffee shop. One day, early in the morning when he opened his shop, an old man, probably a Hızır (a muslim sort of saint, or last minute rescuer) appeared and asked for a cup of coffee. (In the Turkisk folklore Hızır is an imaginative, non-living and non-religious figure, but ethically he stands for Islamic values). Mustafa Efendi went to his drawer and saw that he had run out of coffee. The old man then told him: “check your mortar”. When Mustafa Efendi checked his mortar, he found some coffee, gathered a spoonful and boiled it for the old man. When the old man had finished his coffee, he left a coin and said “keep it in your drawer” and disappeared. Surprisingly, everything went well for Mustafa Efendi ever after. He earned good money and was able to educate his sons and his daughters made good marriages. One day, a creditor came to the shop and asked for his money. Mustafa Efendi got together all his money, adding that 'coin' too, and gave it to him. After this everything went wrong for him. The old man reappeared three times saying “you should not have given that coin away.” Mustafa Efendi was so sorry about it that he sold his coffee shop and dismissed all his staff. Then he went and repaired the tomb of Hızır- Garip Dede, (or the chief tribesman) and spent the rest of his life in paryer.

The Chapel of Devotees

As we have mentioned before, there is a small and abandoned chapel on top of the mountain on the west side of the village of Zeytinlik. This is near the water spring which provided the village with water. Its original name is The Phanoremeni Church, known as “The Church of Devotees”, or for the Turkish Cypriots it is “Aşıklar Kilisesi -Lovers Church”. The church was visited by both Turkish and Greek Cypriots from the surrounding area to make wishes and to pray. It is believed that a girl who has not yet found a husband will do so in a short time after making a wish in the church.

According to legend, a Greek woman married to the richest man in Kyrenia, and herself the owner of farms in the mountains, became really unhappy by her first marriage. She separated from her husband and spent most of her time walking in the mountains. It was there that she met a stranger. It isn’t clear whether he was Greek or Turkish Cypriot. She fell in love with this man and married him and lived happily ever after. Due to this, she built a small church near the waterfall where they had first met. According to Mrs. Emete, “the woman that lights a candle and prays in this church, will see in her dream the man she is going to marry with the help of the Virgin Mary (Meryem Ana)”.

Until recently, this small church has been accepted by both Turkish and Greek Cypriots as a holy wishing place because they believed in this legend.

Buffavento Castle

Buffavento castle sits on top of the Beşparmak Mountain. It can be reached from Nicosia/Lefkoşa or Kyrenia/Girne by travelling on Değirmenlik road. This castle is 1300 meters high and its name comes from the Italian word “Bufavento” meaning “not submitted to the wind”. It was built at the same time as Kantara and St. Hilarion to watch the sea for approaching pirates. However, it lost its importance after the attacks from the Arabs ceased. Today it is in a bad condition and most of the building has fallen down.

There is the legend of a queen, related to this castle, which is still told today: It happened that during the times the Templer Knights ruled the country, one of the princesses or Queens fell sick with leprosy. She didn’t want to be seen by anyone so she hid in the castle and she didn’t have any friends apart from her loyal dog, which had the same illness.

Everyday her dog left the castle for about two hours. It always went to the north side of the mountain and returned some time later. The Princess was surprised to find that her dog was getting better with every day that passed, so she decided to follow it. She was astonished by what she saw: the dog was cleaning itself under the waterfall, drinking from the water and then turning back. So everyday she also began to drink the water and wash regularly with the same water, and eventually she started getting better. She was so grateful to be healed that she built a small church next to the waterfall. This church is called St. Johns Chrysostomos and it has been used by shepherds and priests throughout the years.

The Legend of Alev Kayasi (Flaming Rock)

Although goat pasturing was prohibited by law under British rule, the shepherds from Teknecik, Kalavaç and Görneç villages kept on breeding goats on the Beşparmak mountains. The shepherds used to leave their villages early in the morning riding on their donkeys. They travelled on narrow mountain paths and gathered at the Alev Kayası forest area. Among other things they used to tell the legends of the area and without fail they always told the story of Alev Kayasi (meaning the Flaming Rock). They used to say: “Man must not be greedy and doubting God”. Now, let us hear the legend as they narrated it: There was a farmer who was always complaining and swearing at God. When he had a bad crop, God was responsible. When his mule was lame, God surely caused it. One day the shepherds said to him: “Why don’t you go to Alev Kayasi and make your complaints there?”. “Why” he asked and they answered “Because God is there in the evening when the rocks look like fire flaming, He is there. Go to Him!

On the evening of the following day, he went to the top of the mountain. Ill-mannered, as he usually was, he raised his hands swearing and shouting madly. Suddenly lightening struck and he was turned into a rock. When you visit the Alev Kayasi forest and its picnic area or the Herbarium, the only botanic museum of the island, you will surely hear the voices of the shepherds. They will be telling the legend of the unbelieving shepherd who was turned into stone and punished by Allah-Ül Aleyhhisselam; God, the Great One, the Creator. Don’t hesitate to go and see the Flaming Rock under the evening sun, and the man-shaped rock on the top.

The Belief of Turning Into a Stone

“To turn to stone” is a strong belief in the traditional Turkish Cypriot communities. In all the legends we see “Hızır” as the chief character. A Turkish proverb says; “ Kul sıkışmayınca Hızır yetişmez” This means: “Only when a person is in need, Hızır becomes visibible”.

Hızır is always dressed like a beggar. You never know if he is real or not. When he appears to you if you have behaved badly you may lose everything you have. You may even be turned to stone as a punishment from heaven.

Turkish Cypriot people say to their children, for educational reasons: “Don’t tell a lie”, “Don’t hit your elders”, “Never rise your hand to your parents, share everything that you have, otherwise you will turn to stone.”

On the previous pages we told the story of the couple who refused to give a handful of grain to Hızır and because of that their wheat crop was turned into a heap of soil. This kind of legend is told not only in the Mesarya plains but some other places as well.

Now we are going to tell you some other versions. A little different and perhaps more interesting is the legend of the greedy wife and her husband who were turned into stone on top of their grain mound.

How the Evil-Hearted Wife and Husband Turned Into Stone

On the southern slopes of Kyrenia Mountain range there is a conically shaped hill. It is between the villages Hisarköy and Kozanköy and is called “Buğday Tepesi - The Hill of Wheat” by Turkish Cypriots and “Durulli -Pointed Hill” by Greek Cypriots. There are several legends about how this hill was formed.

In one version of the legend it is said that an old man and his wife were sitting on top of their wheat crop having a meal. It happened that they needed to go to the toilet but were too lazy to go down to the house and did their business right on top of the heap of wheat. We all know that bread is made out of wheat, so does God, and he was very angry with them. As a punishment he turned them into stone and their crop into soil. When you pass that hill you will see the two big stones on top of the hill and these are the old man and his wife.

Another version of the legend, as believed in Hisarköy, is as follows: An old woman was sitting in the garden of her hut spinning threads on her spinning wheel. She had just finished making Hellim- the Cyprus cheese, the smell of the cheese was very good. Suddenly, Hızır appeared in front of her and asked for a piece of hellim. The greedy old woman wouldn’t give him any. The Hızır, the old man, vanished and at that very moment the old woman and her spinning wheel turned into stone. The two stones on top of the hill that we see today is said to be the old woman and her spinning wheel.

Famous Legends in the Kyrenia Area

When you travel from East to West along the northern coast and along the Beşparmak Mountain Range, which is parallel to the coast, you come across many legends. Fire rocks, caves, tombs, wishing trees, tekke-shrines and churches all have their own legends. We researched foreign literature and found some information which was quite helpful but decided to concentrated on our own sources which we found when travelling around our island villages.

When you go to the north from Nicosia to Kyrenia go over the top of the mountain. Turn off at the road which leads to St. Hillarion but continue driving towards Kyrenia until you come to the Chiklos bends. Go straight ahead and you will cross a rocky travertine? which has a flat top like a tray, from here you can see the beauty of the Mediterranean. Stop and enjoy the beautiful view over the city of Kyrenia and the blue sea. You will also see a huge oval rock, divided into two parts, like two halves of an egg and on top of this is the sculpture of an eagle. On the right and left sides of the road a lot of smaller rocks have rolled down from the mountains. This place is famous for a legend connected to, and still remembered by, the people of Kyrenia.

Mustafa Kemal Sayın from Girne narrates the legend as follows:

The Legend of the Phoenix (Zümrüd-ü Anka)

The huge oval stone is called the “Topak Taş - Oval Stone” or “Yumurta Taş- The Egg Stone” a name given by the Kyrenian people because the shape of the rock reminds them of an egg divided into two parts. Turkish people in Kyrenia all know this legend:

Chiklos was the house of the phoenix (Zümrüd-ü Anka). This bird’s husband died and she had to protect her last egg. In order not to damage the egg she patiently sat completely still on it during the period of incubation. However, she became really hungry. She said to herself, “I can’t bear this, I will die of starvation before the baby hatches from the egg. Surely nothing can happen to it in a few minutes”. So she left the egg and went in search of food.

Unfortunately her baby hatched from the egg while she was away. Having left the egg the baby lost its balance and fell over the side of the nest. Some crows were waiting for this to happen and ate the baby. The taste was so delicious the crows never forget it and they have always stayed around the rock in case another baby should fall. This kept the legend of the Zümrüd-ü Anka bird alive in the memories of the local people and the story has been passed on from generation to generation.

This version of the legend is told and remembered by Turkish Capriots, as for them it represents the beauty and mysterious greatness of the phoenix. The Greek Cypriots' have a very different version of the legend, their version of the oval stone legend is like this:

“One of the Ottoman Pashas (Generals) who lived in Kyrenia fell in love with the daughter of a priest who lived in the One Hundred and One Houses. The priest, knowing that the Pasha was always interested in women, prayed to St. Hilarion and asked for advice and help. The priest saw St. Hilarion in his dream who said to him: “Don’t be scared to go to the Pasha alone I will always be with you.” The priest then asked him, “Where will our meeting place be?” Aziz answered, “Somewhere under the Chiklos.” When the priest went there, he saw the Pasha on horse back, an awe inspiring figure. The Pasha had brought soldiers with him who were hiding behind him. The Pasha said to the priest “You have come alone, so be ready to die.”

At that moment by the power of Aziz Hilarion, the sky became dark and a storm blew up and the Pasha and his hidden soldiers were turned into rocks. One of the lightening bolts, struck and divided the Pashas petrified body into two parts, and his spirit left his body in the form of a crow. So this rock separated into two parts, and the smaller ones on each side of the Chiklos, represent the Pasha and his soldiers turned to stone by St. Hilarion. The crow is often seen circling over this rock and is believed to be the spirit of the Pasha.

In this version of the legend the Greeks believe that Aziz (Saint, in Greek: Ayos) had extraordinary powers. They also believe that the Turks are brave people and have extraordinary powers and build up their own picture of a Turk.

The Town of Kyrenia/Girne and the Kyrenia Castle

Kyrenia Do not go inside Don’t enjoy yourself if you do If you enjoy yourself, don’t get married If you get married, don’t get pregnant.

This rhyme is told by Turkish Cypriots and explains Girne/Kyrenia very well. Kyrenia has many features to attract people to come and visit. People who come here fall in love with it and its charm and forget their love for their own country.

This rhyme is told as a warning to people who come to Kyrenia. Not only people on the island but also Europeans who come to Kyrenia are attracted by its beauty and horseshoe-shaped harbour.

Kyrenia was built as a harbour town in ancient times and became the most important trade city due to its good relations with Anatolia and Syria and this lasted until the end of the Ottoman times. During the British period Kyrenia lost its importance as a commercial harbour but became an enjoyable holiday place for tourists and noble British people.

The town was built in the 6th century BC, and became a trading city during the Persian Empire. During the Byzantine era there was a wall around the city, but during the Lusignan and Venetian empires it enjoyed its most fruitful times. A square castle was built by the Byzantines, the walls were later made higher and two large towers on both the north and south sides were added. The Castle was then rebuilt during Venetian times according to the plans of Leonardo da Vinci. During the British period the hanging wooden bridge was exchanged for a stone bridge to connect the castle to the land.

Kyrenia became famous because it served as a recreational resort for royal and noble people who visited the area during the summer. The royal families sometimes stayed in Kyrenia castle and sometimes in St. Hilarion castle. These castles were also used as a prison for noble people. During the Ottoman Empire, Kyrenia along with Ozanköy, Zeytinlik, and Lapta, became a summer resort for the noble people and the Pashas.

The Ottoman people erected aqueducts to bring water to the city from mountain springs or from deep wells, similar to the system in Larnaca.

In Ottoman times, the Castle was used as a place of exile and as a prison for the revolutionists Genç Türkler-Young Turks who rebelled against the Sultan.

During the British Empire it was used as an army base and sometimes as a prison. Between the years of 1918-1920 Turkish Cypriot political leaders, well known on the island, were imprisoned in this castle. The British also used the castle as a prison for the EOKA fighters between 1955-60.

In 1570 the castle was handed over to the Ottoman empire without a fight. The temple of Sadik Pasha is under the Lusignan castle arches at the entrance of the castle and there is an interesting legend about this temple.

The Tomb of Sadık Paşa

According to the legend, Sadik Pasha was a naval captain who met with great resistance by the Venetians when he came to take over the castle in the course of which he fought and died for his country. His tomb was allowed to fall into disrepair for many years. At the beginning of the British Empire the new Kyrenia High Commisioner one day came to visit the castle and during this visit he tripped over the remains kicking the tomb. It so annoyed him he immediately said, “Move this pile of stones from here.” That same night, this official man had a stroke and his leg became paralysed. He connected this to his kicking the tomb stone, so the next day he ordered the tomb of Sadik Pasha to be repaired.

Today the castle is not only used as a museum, but also as a place for cultural and art activities.

The Wrecked Ship Museum

In 1973 part of Kyrenia Castle was made into the Wrecked Ship Museum.

When Alexander the Great conquered Egypt, Syria and Cyprus trading by ship was common. Kyrenia was therefore connected with Sisam (Samos), Rhodes, Syria and many other countries. Goods were transported by ship to other parts of the Mediterranean. The Mediterranean Sea is, like its people, sometimes calm but usually its hard to handle and unpredictable.

One day a trading ship was making for Kyrenia, it was very heavy, fourteen meters wide, and 45 meters long. Only 500 meters from the harbour it sank to the bottom of the sea with its entire crew. Among the load was 29 mill stones and almond jars which are of special interest. During those times one of the most important items in trade were mill stones, also stones with a central hole, in which olive containers could be securely placed and transported. These stones were imported from other islands.

When you walk around the Wrecked Ship Museum you might hear the voice of the captain screaming to save his sinking ship, and the traders cry and call for their servants from the bottom of the sea.

Hz. Ömer and the Seven Martyr’s Burial

Cyprus is an island with a very long coast and many places for pirates to land. In olden times it attracted, for many years, pillagers from Phonicia and later from Rhodes and Crete. This made life for the coastal villagers very difficult. For this reason people moved away from the coast, especially those in villages and towns on the northern side nearer to Anatolia and Syria. They built their houses further inland, in villages such as Lapta, Zeytinlik and Çatalkoy which are all about three kilometers away from the shoreline.

According to a legend told in the Kyrenia area, one day an imbecile shepherd called Hasan, from the Çatalköy area, saw a pirate ship at anchor in a bay. He got scared and began to pray. At that moment he saw seven Arabic soldiers coming towards him on their horses. It is said that the Muslim Arabic soldiers came to Cyprus to protect the people from pirates. When the soldiers saw Hasan trembling they told him not to worry. They turned their horses towards the rocks of the beach and galloped over the surface to the sea. The Arabic soldiers vanquished the pirates on their ship and sent the whole lot to the bottom of the sea. When that was done the soldiers disappeared. Thus Çatalköy was spared an attack from the pirates.

Nobody believed the story that the imbecile Hasan told them but when they saw the horseshoe marks on the rocks, everyone knew the story to be true. They realized that the horseshoe marks belonged to Hz. Ömer and his soldiers. Ömer was one of the Caliphs, a successor of Mohammed.

When the story of the horseshoe marks spread, the rocks became popular. As a memorial to this seven tombs and a temple were built on the shore during the Ottoman Empire. The imbecile Hassan’s name was changed to Haci -Hadji, the Pilgrim. The Hz. Omer Shrine became a wishing place and is thought to be holy by all Muslim people on the island. Usually, during Bayram times, the people who are in the area, visit the shrine, pray and make a wish.

Nicosia/Lefkoşa, the City of Legends

Sir Harry Luke defines Lefkoşa as “The Sister of Damascus”.

The city was established in ancient times, and took its name from “Lefkos” from the son of a Ptolemy King born in the city in the 3rd century BC. At that time the city was called “Ledra.”

The first King to build a wall round Nicosia/Lefkoşa was the King of Jerusalem, Guy du Lusingnan, who was originally from France.

The city saw its best times during the reign of the Venetians who used da Vinci’s plans to build Lefkoşa castle. It had 11 bastions and a moat around it. These bastions were given the names of 11 famous Venetian officers.

There are three entrance gates which led to the centre of the castle where the big church is located. This famous church was named after St. Sophia which made the city popular. The Kyrenia and Paphos gates were smaller than the others and the Famagusta gate was the largest. Today the Famagusta gate and the surrounding rooms are used as an art gallery.

When the island was given to the British Empire, the guard of Kyrenia gate was Horoz Ali. As he had always done he would close the gate doors at sunset and open them again in the morning so people could come inside the walls and say their prayers. As time passed, the gate doors became old like him, and when he died, the doors stayed open for ever. However, when cars began to be used, instead of the horse and cart, the gates were not big enough so the British opened the walls on both sides to enable them to enter the city with their famous Austin and Bedford automobiles.

The Man Who Put the Turkish Flag on the Wall

After the 45 day siege in the year 1570, the Ottomans conquered the city. They were under the command of Serdar Lala Mustafa Pasha, who was the general of the army. Lala Pasha’s base was on the south side of the city at Cenk Tepesi - Battle Hill. Suddenly he saw the Turkish flag flying from the Kostanza tower and so he removed his sword from its sheath and drove his horse through the city. The soldier who had put the flag on top of the tower was already dead. The soldier is only known as Bayraktar- The “Flagman”. This nameless hero who carried the army flag, was buried there and the tower was renamed after him, The Bayraktar Tower (Flag Tower). Three or four years later a mosque was built in the soldier’s memory. The soldier’s flag covered the sarcophagus until 50 years ago when it got damaged and then lost in the course of the horrible attack on the mosque by the Greek bombers.

The Chief Religious Man of the Army, Müftü Aziz Efendi

Who died in the battle

The Ottoman soldiers entered Lefkoşa through the Konstanza tower and rushed through the streets to reach St. Sofia. They met with resistance, and many soldiers died in the battle. The officers were buried exactly where they lay and the soldiers were buried on the sides of the roads or in the walls along the roads.

Müftü was the head religious man of the army and he fought with a sword in his hand but died before he had reached St. Sofia. He was buried where he was killed, in the old church garden called Bedesten, which was being used as an open bazaar by the Venetians. His gown was put over his tomb and his sword was left by the gravestone. After a few years a small mosque was built for the protection of his grave. For many years visitors to his tomb could put their face to his sword thanking him and also praying to him.

As time went by the bazaar merchants and workers of the same religious sect started to attend prayers at that mosque. A room was added and religious lessons were given, like in a small religious school. Aziz Effendi's followers, who shared the same morale principles, copied Aziz Efendi’s heroic behavior and paid their respects to his sharp sword, as a symbol of justice. These ceremonies continued for four hundred years. The believers of the sect used to dance and sing until they reached transcendency when they would step on his sword with bare feet. However, the British rulers couldn’t understand these people’s moral and religious philosophies and they confiscated the sword and banned these celebrations.

This sword would be 500 years old today. Perhaps it ended up as the sword of a nameless Ottoman’s soldier in a European museum or in a private collection somewhere in the world.

== St Sophia Cathedral or today Selimiye Mosque ==

The citizens, who learnt that the city walls were forced open by the Ottomans, gathered at the St. Sophia Cathedral to pray. The priest welcomed the Pasha at the door of the Cathedral and handed him the keys of the church and the city, while holding the stirrups of Pasha’s horse. This was the gesture to show the Pasha of their surrender.

The Pasha ordered that nobody should be killed nor the city destroyed, only the arms of all soldiers were to be collected. At the same time, the Greek Cypriots belonging to the Orthodox church, which was established in 65 BC by St. Barnabas, were waiting outside Saint Sophia Cathedral. They wanted religious freedom, which had been banned by the Venetians. The Pasha promised that their wish would be sent to Constantinople/Istanbul for judgement. The day was Friday and it was praying time. Lala Mustafa Pasha and his soldiers went into the newly nominated mosque, the cathedral building having been emptied of all catholic items, and practiced Friday prayers. He then claimed that the Ottoman Rule had begun by raising his sword into the air as a symbol of peace. He also said that from then on Nicosia/Lefkoşa was under the protection of the Sultan.

Lala Mustafa Pasha’s sword was kept in the mosque for years and years, and the İmam, who presided over the prayers, would hold up the sword during the ceremony with both hands as a symbol of the Islamic belief and justice. Unfortunately, this tradition which was performed for many years, came to a sudden end when the sword was stolen in 1982. Where is Lala Mustafa Pasha’s sword now? Which American or European museum has this sword now, nobody knows?

The City of Nicosia/Lefkoşa has many Faces

Haşmet Gürkan an admirer of Lefkoşa, wrote the book, “Yesterday and Today’s Lefkoşa”. He researched the social structure of Lefkoşa from a historical point of view and from a modern perspective.

Actually, Lefkoşa is a town which is divided into many parts and today has a different face from that of its glorious period.

The glorious times were under the Lusignans, when the city became rich because the French people who had lost their lands in Jerusalem moved to Nicosia/Lefkoşa. It was full of palaces and more than 280 churches were built. In the Venetian times walls were erected around the city so almost 80 churches had to be pulled down and the stones were used for the new walls.

During the crusades, Christian pilgrims on the way back from their visit to Jerusalem stayed in Cyprus. The Cyprus Kings gave them presents of 100 chickens, 20 sheep, 2 cows, 4 full bottles of wine and 4 bottles of marbo wine (local wine) and lots of white bread. This is confirmed by the French nobleman Orient D'Anglure, who wrote in his memoirs, “The king sent us still more presents after 4 days; 100 partridges, 60 rabbits and 5 non-domestic sheep”. Can you imagine the riches of Lefkoşa city, during the Lusignan dynasty?

Although the city was surrounded by walls inside Lefkoşa they grew vegetables and fruit trees. They also had large fields for growing barley and wheat. Cypress and date trees were also typical trees of the time as were lemon, orange and pomegranate trees. After the Lusignan’s wealthy times, recorded by Haşmet Gürkan, the island and Lefkoşa became poor. This was because the Venetian Kings in Cyprus sent two thirds of their tax incomes to the Republic of Venice. Even when the Ottomans took over and built baths, inns and water channels, the city never looked the same again. During the Ottoman period the weaving industry developed and the leather trade played a big role in the city’s income.

Those who profited most during the Ottoman period were the Greek Cypriots. The Orthodox Greeks built many churches, and confirmed by an order from the Sultan in Constantinople/İstanbul, were saved from Catholic pressures. The church became rich and powerful and played an important role in Cyprus’s destiny.

In Haşmet Gürkan’s book on Lefkoşa, he describes in detail the famous Lefkoşa regions and gardens. Should you come to Nicosia one day, you should visit the Sarayönü, Arab Ahmet and Samanbahçe areas. Haşmet Gürkan also said in his book that not so long ago, there were 23 bazaars and markets, and 18 inns still in working order. He mentions the ‘Hidden Gardens’ in Lefkoşa which until recently were still open for public use, but were then destroyed and the land converted into mass building areas. He has also recorded that there were 11 big vegetable and fruit gardens in Lefkoşa.

When our writer Ali Nesim came to Lefkoşa as a secondary school student in 1953, he remembered going to ‘Karakaş Gardens” and getting some “molehiya” vegetables from there. He also bought bananas and pomegranates from the garden behind the ‘Kumarcılar Han’. There is a date tree in every Turkish Cypriot garden because it is known as a holy and precious fruit in Islam.

The pomegranate tree is also as precious and holy as the palm tree. Before Islam, Turkish people believed that the pomegranate was a symbol of abundance, wealth, richness and happiness. Today earthenware is broken to bring happiness to a marriage, pomegranates were used in the same way in the old times. When Ali Nesim’s was a child he remembers the pomegranate used at a wedding in the Yenicami Area. “The boy and girl who had married stood in front of their door, but before they could enter their new house, the bride took a pomegranate that the boy gave her. The girl lifted it up and smashed it on the floor with everybody praying at the same time, “We hope God makes you rich, happy and that you may live together in prosperity.”

The City That Smelled Like Jasmine

As well as oranges, lemons, dates, myrtle, pomegranate and olive trees, people had jasmine bushes in their gardens or in a box by the front door. It was the symbol of Lefkoşa, and it used to give people so much pleasure to walk along the narrow roads and smell the Jasmine. The poet Mehmet Levent expressed his nostalgic feelings for this in his poem “Lefkoşa”:

Lefkoşa After years spent elsewhere I wanted to walk the old ways The ways through the city where I was born I wanted to go through them again, The roads where I spent my childhood Between the walls of Yenicami Tanti’s bath Outside the Yüksel Street

We have changed! None of us is what we used to be. I opened the door of my memories to find the connection to the past. I walked to Deveciler Road What is there to remind me of my childhood?

I remember the hot summer nights with you. I remember the afternoons with you women, cutting the molehiya leaves, Some of you sitting cross-legged

In front of the door, some in reed chairs, with fruits in your laps and while you were picking, the baskets became empty.

The picture of these women selecting and cutting leaves of molehiya Like an ancient etching of long ago, Stayed in front of my eyes. You can’t leave this city For another country Can you, my brother!

This smell of lemon flowers in the evenings It captivates you…

The parks outside the fort you go along the roads without knowing where they lead you but they call you to come inside the narrow paths which lead

Into the walled city The kebabs cooked in kilos in its many pubs. Gapparis pickled with olive oil Creamy yogurt to be cut with a knife The grilled hellim inside the pita bread If you want to eat hummus If you want lentil soup If you want cognac! The soup seller Abdurrazak is at your service Until sunrise.

I go ahead and look to see what goes on and lean to a bar counter. I don’t know the politicians next to me. They have a bottle of ‘Angliya’ in front of them. At another table a joke is told Obscenely … I am calling you.. Folk dances, national songs, Sirto, Arabia When you drink two bottles of cognac When you put your skewer in the peach kebab Come, my Joy, come Today is also pay day and who cares, three days later Our pockets will be empty…

It is in this city that we give necklaces of Jasmine blossoms To our girlfriends garlands that are sold in the streets By the poor children In the cool summer nights….

Gums from Paphos in the basket on your arm Jasmine blossoms, buds still Do you remember that old woman Sitting on the pavement?

The garland of jasmine you bought one evening to put it around your fiancé’s neck Calls you…

You can’t leave this city for Another country You can’t go my brother!

Leaving home in the morning On your way to work How many people are you greeting? Did you ever wonder? Even if you don’t know The faces that you see everyday These people Call you…

There is your origin in this soil; To the holy war you gave Your mother or your father, dead Or your child, or your brother are buried in the soil you walk on Who will ever know. The bullet that struck a chest May be your friend'? He who Died in your arms is Calling you

You can’t leave this city For another country! You cannot go my brother!

M. Levent speaks thus about his feelings and memories for Cyprus and how sensitively he brings to life the old times in Lefkoşa, doesn't he?

Cyprus Continues to Be an Island Of Legends

The troubled history of Cyprus continues even today, here, in the world and in the entire Eastern Mediterranean area. Life in times of trouble challenges the imagination and the belief in supernatural powers. In the second half of the last century, all Cypriots lived with problems and this caused them to create new legends and to express their feelings, “relating to the land, to holy beliefs, and superntural powers”. Even in this century of rationalism and science, we come across new beliefs and extraordinary memories and rumours that influence people. Now, we will give you some examples of legends created in the recent years.

The Girl whose bag was returned after her Death

Sadly today we can lose our children due to traffic accidents. The desperate parents continue to believe that their children are still alive as they cannot bear to believe their child has died. The child they brought up with love and difficulties.

About eight or ten years ago, a family, who had lost their daughter in a traffic accident, could not cope with her death. They kept on believing that one day she would come back. In fact, one night, a stranger knocked at their door and passed a handbag through the small gap in the door. The boy who was unknown to them said; “Yesterday I had a birthday party and your daughter left her handbag at my house. I wanted to bring it round; if she is asleep don’t disturb her and don’t forget to say hello from me?”

The boy then disappeared. When the mother and father opened the handbag, they saw their daughter’s personal belongings. They told this story to everyone as proof of their belief. They believe that she is still with her friends who joined her at the party.

The Tank on the Selvili Hill

The following legend had a great impact and is without doubt related to the Turkish tank on top of the Beşparmak Mountain and how it got there.

Greek artillery stationed on the Beşparmak Mountains was bringing death to the area. If the artillery wasn’t stopped the landing operation would be a failure. Officers and soldiers tried to think of a way to stop the bombardment. However, when they woke up one morning they saw a tank on the mountain, put there by the power of God. The Greek artillery was destroyed and this changed the fate of the war.

This belief is common among the people in the Turkish community, whose beliefs are related to God. They want to say, “If you have full faith and trust, help is always given by God in difficult situations.”

History Repeated During the Landing Operation of The Turkish Army

There are several legends about the landing operation of the Turkish Army in 1974. One of them is about the Monument of Victory in the village of Karaoğlanoğlu, five kilometers west of Girne.

In 1963 İbrahim Nidai and his friend Şevket Kadir from Lapta wanted to go to Kyrenia to find out what was happening. On the way they were stopped in Karaoğlanoğlu by Greeks and killed. The villagers believed they were missing. Thirteen years later the Turkish army landed on the beach which is known today as Çıkarma Plajı - Landing Beach. It is generally believed now that the Greeks buried İbrahim Nidai and Şevket Kadir in the same place where God in his wisdom led the Turkish army to go ashore to save the surviving villagers. The Monument of Victory is erected in the very same spot and their bodies became part of the foundations of the monument.

Under similar conditions many legends have been created. Around some extraordinary happenings stories are woven like patters in a kilim.

The Mystery and Fame of the Blue Palace

There is another event which happened in the last century that has become a legend.

It is common knowledge that there is a Blue Palace in the Çamlıbel Forest, which is now under the protection of the Government as a museum. It is situated inside an army camp where soldiers act as guides. The story may change with each soldier-guide's fantasy as they take you round the house and explain the features and the extraordinary things related to it. Once a guide said “In the middle of the palace there is a saloon with a swimming pool where Sophia Loren had a milk bath.” Other guides added, “Emel Sayın and Semiramis Pekkan also had a milk bath in the swimming pool.” (These are famous Turkish actresses)

The owner of the palace, “was the famous gun dealer, who extravagantly spent lots of money entertaining people who wanted to be amused. He was a party man and he continuously gave luxurious parties for elite people. In his house everything was of the most extraordinary taste. He used to throw an apple from his bedroom into the swimming pool, and the person, who caught the apple first, could spend the night with him, the gender wasn’t an issue, man or woman”. King Faruk of Egypt was his best friend.

“When the Turkish army landed in 1974, the famous owner escaped through a secret tunnel which began at the back of the house and lead to the end of the Çamlıbel forest. After he escaped he destroyed the tunnel and disappeared.”

The Negro’s Hole

Now, we will have a look at the “black hole” in the Tumba Du Skuru, an ancient site dating back to the first century BC. The people in Güzelyurt (Morfu) call this historical burial place the Negro’s Hole- Arabın Deliği or Arabın Kuyusu. In 1976 archeologists found an infant cemetery inside the walls of the excavation. When this was discovered, the villagers began to call it the “Arabs Hole”. It is a tradition in our culture to say to our children when they are being naughty, “The Arab will come and take you.”

Can Wealth Compare to Humanity

So far we have seen that for us on the island, creating new legends has become a sort of tradition. Finally, we will tell you about the greediness of rich people that think materialism is more important than humanity.

Rumour and gossip spreads, but gossip and rumours can one day become legends. According to one such rumour, a rich Turkish merchant died and his children shared the wealth amongst themselves. However, they could not agree with each other and argued over everything. Finally everything including the goods in the stores were shared there was only one water glass left. They could not decide who should take it and so in the end they threw the glass on the floor and it broke into pieces.

This event became a legend, which shows the impact the story had on our society. Turkish Cypriots abhor greedy people and they hate the greediness of rich people but they also dislike a disagreement between brothers.

CONCLUSION

We can summarize that legends are not just a product of the imagination. They rather depend on important events in public life that happened in the past and contain a concrete topic with moral values.

They are the sounds of common expectations, ideas, and the collective conscience of the public. They are always visible, they have a symbol, people always touch them, and they take social, moral, and religious messages from them.

Taking lessons from the legends is a part of the education of society; ethically and religiously, they are as holy as the open face of the societies’ values and respects.

Myths and legends bind societies and countries, love between the members of the society is a product of the common identity. They create a collective conscience.

According to the legends we have understood that our societies have large imaginations, powers, creativity, goodness, honesty, tradition and dependency. Our people are not greedy; they are satisfied, moralistic, truthful, and outspoken.

In our beautiful island, Cyprus, we hope to embrace more legends from the past and present.

IMPORTANT NOTE

Thanks to Heidi Trautmann for editing the English text and also translating this book into German.. And our thanks also go to Julie Show for a second editing of the English version.