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Angastina ( gr, Αγκαστίνα, tr, Aslanköy) is a village in the
Famagusta District Famagusta District ( gr, Επαρχία Αμμοχώστου, Eparchia Ammochostu; tr, Mağusa kazası) is one of the six districts of Cyprus. Its main town is the island's most important port, Famagusta. History Most of the district has b ...
of
Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...
, located around 20 km east of
Nicosia Nicosia ( ; el, Λευκωσία, Lefkosía ; tr, Lefkoşa ; hy, Նիկոսիա, romanized: ''Nikosia''; Cypriot Arabic: Nikusiya) is the largest city, capital, and seat of government of Cyprus. It is located near the centre of the Mesaor ...
, on the main road to
Famagusta Famagusta ( , ; el, Αμμόχωστος, Ammóchostos, ; tr, Gazimağusa or ) is a city on the east coast of Geography of Cyprus, Cyprus. It is located east of Nicosia District, Nicosia and possesses the deepest harbour of the island. Duri ...
. It is under the ''de facto'' control of
Northern Cyprus Northern Cyprus ( tr, Kuzey Kıbrıs), officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC; tr, Kuzey Kıbrıs Türk Cumhuriyeti, ''KKTC''), is a ''de facto'' state that comprises the northeastern portion of the Geography of Cyprus, isl ...
. Angastina is perched on a gentle river terrace chalk escarpment over the Pedias river plain at 66 metres above sea level.


Etymology

It was suggested by Nearchos Clerides, in ''Villages and Cities of Cyprus'', that Angastina had been named from the Frank word ''gastina'' for crust. This alludes to the thick rocky shell rock (kafkala-Greek Cypriot for crust) that covered the surrounding mesas and on which the last version of the village was built. He suggested that name was modified by the locals and made their own by adding the ''A''. This is possible as the nearby village of Mora was "entirely a Frankish town under Frankish occupation. It was owned by the House of Moravit and it was named Mora for short. Cyprus at that time was ruled by the French House of Lusignan." The Franks arrived in Cyprus "in the high and late Middle Ages, between 1192 and 1489. However, George Jeffrey speculated that the name (on ancient maps "Angestrina ") may be from "neo-latin origin (1500–1900)". Christos Diakos in ''Angastina - History and Traditions'' agreed, saying "The church of Agios Therapon existed at our village since Byzantine time." The name of the village was Agios Therapon. The name Angastina appears at the time of the Venetians. The main church of Angastina up to 1974 was Agia Paraskevi, which has since been converted into a mosque. Until 1950 the village was on the rail line that connected Famagusta and Nicosia; there is now a motorway.


History


Early history

The Cypro-Mycenaean (10,000-800 BC) archaeological burial site of Vouno was excavated 2 km east of the village in 1962 when a new road to Famagusta was put through. According to Georgious Kyriakos in ''Cyprus Heritage'', artifacts (now at the Cyprus Museum) found in Vouno include "A Composite vase of White Painted V ware. It consists of four spherical parts joined to a common neck with a pinched mouth. A female figurine is attached to the neck; her right hand holding her breast and the left her abdomen." This dates from the Middle Cypriot III period (1725–1625 BC). During the Crusades, in or near the village was a fort for the cavalry of the Knight Templars (1291). There are remnants of an older village, to the southeast towards Assia, which are still called Halospita (Ruined Houses).


The murder of Nikoli Philippou

As many other villages in Cyprus, Angastina, until 1907, was bi-communal. On 17 August of that year a murder occurred that would eventually drive a wedge between the village's Christian and Muslim communities. A young Turk fell in love with a married Greek woman. He was warned off but took it to heart and stupidly fired upon a company of young Greek men very late at night while they were having a coffee in the village square. One the Greek young men suspecting the young Turk took the Police to the young Turk's house. The young Turk confessed and the father offered monetary retribution. The young Greek man refused to be bought off by the father so the young Turk was arrested by the Police. The father was furious that the young Greek man would not accept the money. That night he went with his son inlaw to the threshing field which the young Greek man was guarding with his mother-in-law nearby. The Turkish father murdered him while he was asleep by bashing his head in with a rock. Eventually the Turkish father was arrested and he and his son in law were tried, sentenced and hung by the British authorities of the island. The whole story is recorded in the ballad "The murder of Nikoli Philippou" by C. T. Palaisi written at the time and the local press. After that event all Turkish Angastiniotes sold up and moved to nearby Turkish villages.


The Turkish invasion of 1974

Since the Turkish invasion in 1974, the village has been inhabited by Turkish Cypriots and Turkish mainland settlers.


Agriculture

Angastina has vineyards and until World War II cotton was grown extensively in the area. Wheat, barley and lentils were the main cereals grown before the 1974 Turkish invasion.


Famous Angastiniotes

The monks Chariton (1887–1973), Stephanos (1894–1974) and Barnabas (1897–1974) of the monastery of the apostle Barnabas in
Enkomi Enkomi ( el, Έγκωμη; tr, Tuzla) is a village near Famagusta in Cyprus. It is the site of an important Bronze Age city, possibly the capital of Alasiya. Enkomi is under the ''de facto'' control of Northern Cyprus. In 1974, Enkomi had about ...
painted icons, both to decorate the ancient church and to sell. The naïve artist
Nicos Nicolaides Nicos Nicolaides ( el, Νίκος Νικολαΐδης) was a Greek Cypriot painter and writer. Early life Nicolaides was born the son of poor parents in Nicosia, Cyprus, on 3 April 1884. A sister, Maria, followed him two years later. He was ...
(1884–1956), and the politician and poet
Andreas Koukouma Andreas Koukouma is a commentator and literary critic of the left. As a poet he is known by his pen-name Antis Kanakis. His poems and short stories deal with universal themes and are written in the Cypriot Greek, Cypriot dialect. His poems also ...
(1947- ) were also born in Angastina.


Churches

* Agia Paraskevi is a Greek Orthodox church that was converted into a mosque after the Turkish invasion of 1974. It was built in 1878 on an older church of the same name.Diakos, Christos- In 1920 a lightning strike felled the bell tower and a new one was erected in 1957-58. * Agios Therapon is a Greek Orthodox church and cemetery.


References

{{Authority control Communities in Famagusta District Populated places in Gazimağusa District Greek Cypriot villages depopulated during the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus