Nicosia City

Nicosia City - The worlds last remaining divided capital!

Known as Ledra or Ledrae in ancient times, the city was the seat of the kings of Cyprus from 1192, became a Venetian possession in 1489, and fell to the Turks in 1571. Nicosia was the scene of extreme violence in the period just prior to independence, and since the Turkish intervention of 1974, part of the city's northern sector has been inside the boundary of a United Nations buffer zone.

The name of the capital city of Cyprus dates back approximately 2,250 years to the original settlement of Ledra, which was later renamed Lefkotheon, but was also sometimes referred to as Ledron. Huge, thick ramparts, built by the Venetians in 1570, encircle the city; the walls are three and a half miles long and have eleven towers and three gates.

The present day capital of the island has a population of around 150,000 and it is divided into Turkish and Greek sectors by a boundary known as the `Green Line' which runs in an east-west direction. At present there are two main border crossings between the two sectors of Nicosia. Ledra Palace checkpoint (for pedestrians) which is in the city centre and Metehan (Ayios Dhometios) checkpoint which is for crossings by motor vehicles.