Farmagusta, Cyprus

Abandoned 1974

Maras/Varosha (Greek: Βαρώσια; Turkish: Maraş or Kapalı Mara) was the modern tourist area in the Cypriot city of Farmagusta. Its 39,000 inhabitants fled during the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974. The city has remained under Turkish control and was almost entirely abandoned until 2020 when authorities from the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus announced that the beach area would be opened to the public, in direct contravention of U.N. Security Council resolutions which declare that only the town’s original inhabitants have the right to return there. Greek Cypriot leaders, the United Nations, the European Union and the United States condemned the action. The painting is based on an old uncredited photograph.

I once saw some pictures of this ghost town. Anon.