Arab Ahmet is a neighbourhood, quarter,
mahalla
is an Arabic word variously translated as district, quarter, ward, or "neighborhood" in many parts of the Arab world, the Balkans, Western Asia, the Indian subcontinent, and nearby nations.
History
Historically, mahallas were autonomous social ins ...
or
parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...
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 ...
,
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 ...
[Coexistence in the Disappeared Mixed Neighbourhoods of Nicosia by Ahmet An (Paper read at the conference: Nicosia: The Last Divided Capital in Europe, organized by the London Metropolitan University on 20 June 2011)] and the mosque situated therein. Both the quarter and the mosque are named after Arab Ahmet Pasha, one of the Turkish commanders in the Ottoman conquest of Nicosia.["A description of the historic monuments of Cyprus. Studies in the archaeology and architecture of the island" by George Jeffery, Nicosia 1918] It is spelled Arabahmet in Turkish and Άραπ Άχμετ in Greek.
At the last census (2011) it had a population of 3,550.[ It covers the historic Arab Ahmet neighbourhood in the west of Nicosia within the walls, plus an area west of that outside the walls up to the municipal boundary.]["Quarters of Nicosia" Prepared and published by the Dept. of Lands and Surveys, Cyprus, 1985, Revised 1997. Series DLS30. Scale 1:7500]
The population in 1946 was 2,617 (576 Greek, 846 Turkish, 1195 other - mostly Armenian, some Latin community). Together with the nearby Karamanzade Neighbourhood, it was part of the predominantly Armenian area of Nicosia.
The neighbourhood outside the walls, is now delimited by the Dept. of Lands and Surveys[ as follows: The boundary line passes from the point of the Quirini or Cephane (Jeb Khane) bastion to the roundabout just north of the bastion. Namely, the roundabout at the corner of the former site of the Turkish Cemetery,]["Romantic Cyprus" by Kevork Keshishian, pub 1958, Nicosia. Attached map of Nicosia] now the site of the Turkish Embassy in Cyprus.[Google Maps, retrieved Dec 2013] From there the boundary continues along Bedrettin Demirel Avenue (Hilarion Avenue) for about a mile to the old municipal boundary. The boundary is then coterminous with the municipal border in a south-westerly direction until the vicinity of the Central Prison. From here the boundary passes south of the prison due east, via Norman St., thence along Dereboyu Avenue
Dereboyu Avenue ( tr, Dereboyu Caddesi), also known simply as Dereboyu and officially as Mehmet Akif Avenue ( tr, Mehmet Akif Caddesi), is the busiest avenue in North Nicosia, as well as its centre of entertainment. The term "Dereboyu" means "alon ...
and Markos Drakos Ave. until the point of the Roccas bastion. This area includes the Ledra Palace Hotel, British High Commission, Central Prison and the Turkish Cypriot Assembly of the Republic.[British American Tobacco archives retrieved from Dec 2013] Parts of the neighbourhood outside the walls in the north have been detached from the Arab Ahmet neighbourhood and are now considered parts of Köşklüçiftlik
Köşklüçiftlik is a quarter of North Nicosia in Northern Cyprus. In 2011, it had a population of 2,939.
Cityscape
It is bordered by the Pedieos River in the west, the Kumsal Park separating it from Kumsal in the north, the Green Line in ...
.
History
Arab Ahmet was one of the original 12 quarters as they existed shortly after the Ottoman conquest of Nicosia in 1570 and, like the others, was named after and put in charge of one of the commanders of the victorious army.[
It is one of the later 24 historic quarters or neighbourhoods of Nicosia within the walls.][ In 1923 it was extended to encompass an extensive area outside the walls,][Order No. 397 published in Cyprus Gazette No. 1597, 4 August 1923] linked by the road just to the north of the Mula (Zahra) bastion. According to the 1923 boundary extension beyond the walls, the northern boundary (with Ibrahim Pasha Quarter) was formed by a straight line from the salient of the Quirini/Cephane bastion, to the south-west comer of the Turkish Cemetery. The southern boundary (with Tophane
Tophane () is a quarter in the Beyoğlu district of Istanbul, Turkey, running downhill from Galata to the shore of the Bosphorus where it joins up with Karaköy to the southwest and Fındıklı to the northeast.
In the Ottoman era, it was t ...
Quarter - renamed Ayios Andreas in September 1945[) ran west from the "new" entrance, Paphos Gate, along the Bridge Road, across the ]Pediaios
The Pedieos (also Pediaios or Pediaeus or Pithkias; Greek: Πεδιαίος/Πηθκιάς, Turkish: ''Kanlı Dere'') is the longest river in Cyprus. The river originates in the Troodos Mountains close to Machairas Monastery and flows northeast a ...
Potamos Bridge and along the Central Prison Road until it meets the town boundary.[ (Subsequent adjustment placed the southern boundary slightly north of this][.)
The eponymous mosque was founded in the early 18th century.][Ahmet Gazioglu, The Turks in Cyprus - A Province of the Ottoman Empire, London, 1990]
Arab Ahmet neighbourhood was the most prestigious residential area of Nicosia, where the high-ranking Turkish officials and the kadis and pasha
Pasha, Pacha or Paşa ( ota, پاشا; tr, paşa; sq, Pashë; ar, باشا), in older works sometimes anglicized as bashaw, was a higher rank in the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman political and military system, typically granted to governors, gener ...
s had their homes. First of all it was near the old Ottoman Saray (previously Lusignan Palace) and easy for the high-ranking officials to go to their work on foot. Secondly it was the coolest place in the evening during the summer because it could get the best of the evening breeze, coming from the west, from the direction of the Morphou Bay into the Mesaoria
The Mesaoria ( el, Μεσαορία, tr, Mesarya) is a broad, sweeping plain which makes up the north centre of the island of Cyprus.
Geography
The Mesaoria is the name given to the broad tract of plain which extends across the island from the ...
plain.
Armenian Cypriots had been concentrated in the area since the Ottoman conquest, though they were a minority in the area until the 1920s.[ Many other Armenians, who escaped from the massacres in Anatolia, settled in the Arab Ahmet neighbourhood and lived there until the inter-communal troubles of 1963, when they fled the quarter. Since most of the Armenians from Anatolia could speak Turkish, they preferred to live alongside Turkish Cypriots, using the same language. The Armenians were known as tradesmen and they were famous especially in the fields of jewellery, tailoring, photography and carpet selling.][
At first, many Armenians leased Turkish properties. As they prospered in the area, they bought these properties from Turkish Cypriots, who preferred to either leave the island for Turkey or move to the new ]Köşklüçiftlik
Köşklüçiftlik is a quarter of North Nicosia in Northern Cyprus. In 2011, it had a population of 2,939.
Cityscape
It is bordered by the Pedieos River in the west, the Kumsal Park separating it from Kumsal in the north, the Green Line in ...
quarter outside the walls. By the 1950s, only 5-10 Turkish families living in ancestral mansions had remained in the area. The area was a vibrant part of the city in this period, Victoria Street (today known as Salahi Şevket Street) became a centre of culture and business. Haşmet Muzaffer Gürkan described the area in the 1940s as one where "sounds of piano could be heard any time of the day from the houses".[
]
Landmarks
Arab Ahmet Mosque
Arab Ahmet Mosque is situated in the western Arab Ahmet Quarter 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 ...
, the capital 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 ...
. It was built in the late 16th century in classical Ottoman architectural style.[The Arabahmet Mosque, Nicosia, North Cyprus](_blank)
/ref> It is famous both for its beautiful Turkish architectural style and for the graves of important people in its courtyard. It was built in the early 18th century in memory of Arab Ahmet Pasha, one of the Turkish commanders during the conquest of Cyprus. In 1845, it was renovated due to the great amount of renovations it needed. It is the only mosque in Cyprus to exhibit typical Turkish domes. It is rectangular and a large central dome covers its main body. Three smaller domes cover the entrance, and four more cover corners of the mosque.[
]
Arab Ahmet aqueduct
This aqueduct, known as Arab Ahmet Su, was one of the two main sources of water supply in 19th-century Nicosia. It is named after Ahmed Pasha (not the neighbourhood), who seems to have rebuilt or repaired it as the principal water-conduit which supplied the town from the upper reaches of the river Pediaios
The Pedieos (also Pediaios or Pediaeus or Pithkias; Greek: Πεδιαίος/Πηθκιάς, Turkish: ''Kanlı Dere'') is the longest river in Cyprus. The river originates in the Troodos Mountains close to Machairas Monastery and flows northeast a ...
.[ From there the aqueduct approached the city from the south-west bringing water into the city via Paphos Gate, near Arab Ahmet.
]
Ledra Palace Hotel
The Ledra Palace Hotel was until 1974 one of the largest and most glamorous hotels of Nicosia. The hotel was designed by the German Jewish architect Benjamin Günsberg and was built between 1947 and 1949 on what was then called King Edward VII Street in the quarter (''enoria'') of Arab Ahmet. This part of the road is now named Markos Drakos Avenue (since 1960) and another part is named Selim II Avenue.
Following the Turkish invasion of Cyprus
The Turkish invasion of Cyprus began on 20 July 1974 and progressed in two phases over the following month. Taking place upon a background of Cypriot intercommunal violence, intercommunal violence between Greek Cypriots, Greek and Turkish ...
it fell within the boundaries of the UN Buffer Zone and now serves as the headquarters for Sector 2 United Nations Roulement Regiment (URR) part of UNFICYP. The Ledra Palace Hotel has played host to many high level meetings between Greek Cypriot
Greek Cypriots or Cypriot Greeks ( el, Ελληνοκύπριοι, Ellinokýprioi, tr, Kıbrıs Rumları) are the ethnic Greek population of Cyprus, forming the island's largest ethnolinguistic community. According to the 2011 census, 659,115 r ...
and Turkish Cypriot
Turkish Cypriots or Cypriot Turks ( tr, Kıbrıs Türkleri or ''Kıbrıslı Türkler''; el, Τουρκοκύπριοι, Tourkokýprioi) are ethnic Turks originating from Cyprus. Following the Ottoman conquest of the island in 1571, about 30,00 ...
leaders, as well as hundreds of structured conflict resolution
Conflict resolution is conceptualized as the methods and processes involved in facilitating the peaceful ending of conflict and retribution. Committed group members attempt to resolve group conflicts by actively communicating information abou ...
workshops between Greek Cypriot
Greek Cypriots or Cypriot Greeks ( el, Ελληνοκύπριοι, Ellinokýprioi, tr, Kıbrıs Rumları) are the ethnic Greek population of Cyprus, forming the island's largest ethnolinguistic community. According to the 2011 census, 659,115 r ...
and Turkish Cypriot
Turkish Cypriots or Cypriot Turks ( tr, Kıbrıs Türkleri or ''Kıbrıslı Türkler''; el, Τουρκοκύπριοι, Tourkokýprioi) are ethnic Turks originating from Cyprus. Following the Ottoman conquest of the island in 1571, about 30,00 ...
peace builders.
Central Prison of Nicosia
The Central Prison of Nicosia is the only correctional facility
In criminal justice, particularly in North America, correction, corrections, and correctional, are umbrella terms describing a variety of functions typically carried out by government agencies, and involving the punishment, treatment, and su ...
in 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 ...
. It is located in the west of the neighbourhood, south of the Green Line[ and was built by the ]British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
in 1894. It was used, until 1955, both as place of temporary detention of persons under judicial decree as well as a place of detention of those condemned by the courts to imprisonment.
Current division
The southern fringe of the neighbourhood outside the walls, around the Ledra Palace Hotel, is under the control of the Cyprus government or the United Nations.[ The Arab Ahmet Neighbourhood of Nicosia Turkish Municipality only covers that part within the walls, while the area beyond the walls is organised as the separate Neighbourhood of ]Köşklüçiftlik
Köşklüçiftlik is a quarter of North Nicosia in Northern Cyprus. In 2011, it had a population of 2,939.
Cityscape
It is bordered by the Pedieos River in the west, the Kumsal Park separating it from Kumsal in the north, the Green Line in ...
(old name Keushk Chiftlik) This position is summarised below.
The neighbourhood in the north within the city walls is now mostly inhabited by Turkish settlers. Many buildings are in a state of disrepair due to the poor financial condition of the inhabitants.
References
{{Quarters of North Nicosia
Armenian diaspora in Cyprus
Ethnic enclaves in Asia
Neighbourhoods of Nicosia
Ethnic enclaves in Europe