Most visitors to Cyprus are generally oblivious to the political turmoil the island has experienced in its recent history. The residents of the unoccupied part of Cyprus live with the presence of over 30,000 Turkish occupation troops in the occupied part of the island. This is a highly sensitive issue. In the unoccupied part of the island there are some 250,000 refugees from the occupied part of the island. These refugees are effectively refugees in their own country.
The determination of Cyprus to wipe the scars of the Turkish invasion and 23 years occupation is best seen near the UN buffer zone in the capital city of Nicosia. The buffer zone is between twenty to fifty metres wide. The government has a programme of restoring and leasing traditional buildings to original condition even if the buildings concerned have backyard fences which in form the border of the UN Buffer Zone. It takes considerable courage to live in restored houses whose back fence forms the UN Buffer Zone.
Looking into the UN Buffer Zone you are confronted with an eerie silence, bullet holes pock mark buildings and an array of UN, Greek and Turkish guard posts along with their respective flags are prolific. Having jumped over the fences which form the buffer zone and we walked through parts of the UN buffer zone. This needs to be done stealthily. Taking photos is not recommended as this would give your position away. The locals call the UN buffer zone "The Dead Zone" for good reason. Entering the UN buffer zone is exceedingly hazardous as Turkish sniper posts honeycomb various walls. Several people have been shot dead for entering the Buffer Zone in the last year. Fortunately, the Turkish troops manning their respective posts were either absent or not conscious of our movements. Only on one occasion did any Turkish soldier show any interest when a popular Greek tune was whistled in our direction. Presumably in the hope that we would expose our position in the belief it was a Greek whistling the tune.
"Dead Zone" captures what this place is like. This part of Nicosia is a lifeless limbo almost totally devoid of all life. Homes have been left exactly as they were twenty three years ago. Cooking utensils with the decayed remnants of some unknown cuisine, clothes left on chairs and beds, cupboards and chairs are covered in a dusty form of suspended animation. Pictures of unknown individuals and families are buried behind dusty glass picture frames on discoloured walls. Buildings in which Greek forces fought from have patriotic slogans on their walls. The author and his colleague ventured as far as the Turkish side of the UN buffer zone. Peering through various holes in fences (which are used as sniper posts), cracks between concrete filled 44 gallon drums and over short walls the Turkish occupied side seemed dilapidated and dormant except for the sound of motor vehicles passing in the near distance. This is unlike the unoccupied part of Nicosia which is alive with restaurants, night clubs and commerce.
