Tourism and Hospitality Management School

Competitive Strategy for The HospitalityTHM607

Ass. Prof. Dr.Ismet Esenyel2016/2017

NICOSIA

Nicosia, or Lefkoşa (called so by local Turkish Cypriot population), is the capital of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

Lefkoşa is currently the only divided capital city in the world, with the northern (Turkish) and southern (Greek) parts divided by the "green line", a demilitarized zone maintained by the United Nations.

the city was also called Lefkotheon. Until the Middle Ages the city was mostly called by its Greek name: Lefkosia, which probably came from Lefkos, son of Ptolemy I of Egypt, who rebuilt the city in 280 B.C.

When Cyprus came under Latin rule it was renamed Nicosia

NICOSIA

Strategic location of the island between East and West resulted in repeated invasions of foreign nations and civilizations that have brought changes to the life and culture of the island's inhabitants.

It is situated at 35°10' north, 33°21' east,

which is in the centre of the island.

In Cyprus history the island was colonised by Phoenicians, Assyrians, Egyptians, Persians, and Greeks in different periods.

During the 9th and 10th century Nicosia was the administrative centre of the island and was also referred to as the capital of Cyprus.

Therefore it acquired a castle and became the seat of the Byzantine governor of the island.

Cyprus proved to be extremely useful to Byzantine governors in order to defend the neighbouring districts of the Empire.

Richard the Lionheart became ruler of the island and shortly after he sold it to the Templars for 100.000 gold byzantium's.

Guy de Lusignan, King of Jerusalem who belonged to a noble family from Poitou in France, bought Cyprus from the Templars and brought many noble men and other adventurers, from France, Jerusalem, Tripoli, the Principality of Antioch and Kingdom of Armenia, to the island. Guy shared the land among them and Nicosia was proclaimed the capital of the Kingdom of the Lusignans.

under Lusignans' rule Nicosia was developed architecturally: a lot of palaces, mansions, churches and monasteries were built.

The Latin Church organized itself and in order to impose its authority more forcefully on the island's inhabitants built the marvelous Gothic monuments we see even today. Nicosia became the seat of Latin Church in Cyprus.

the Venetians ruled the island from 1489 to 1571. Nicosia was their administrative centre and the seat of the Venetian governor.

Cyprus became the most important port of call for the Venetians galleys and the centre of their commercial transactions in the East.

The Venetians kept Nicosia as a capital because of its abundance of water and mild climate and mostly due to its strategic location at the centre of the island .

1571 - 1878 -Ottoman Empire.

The Turks took possession of everything that belonged to the Latins including their places of worship – the main Latin churches were converted into mosques.

Nicosia wall

Giulio Savorgnano, He stayed on the island for about nine months and designed new fortifications for the city according to con-temporary defense methods.

The eleven bastions were named after the eleven families from Nicosia's Italian aristocracy who had contributed financially to their construction.

The walls had only three gates; to the North: Kyrenia Gate; to the west: Paphos Gate; and to the east: Famagusta Gate which was the largest .

KYRENIA GATE ( Girne Kapisi)

SELIMIYE MOSQUE ( St Sophia Cathedral )

It was formerly the cathedral of St. Sophia

In style of architecture, St. Sophia resembles the famous mediaeval cathedrals of France.

The cathedral was converted into a mosque in 1570

The building was constructed in the 12th century as a Byzantine church (The St. Nicholas Church). It was later enlarged by some Gothic annexes built by the Lusignans. After some more changes in the Venetian period, the building was given to the Greek Orthodox Metropolis. The building with its different architectural styles is of a hybrid nature.

BEDESTEN ( The St. Nicholas Church )

This is a sixteenth century inn, the name meaning, BIG INN. This is inn was built about 1570 A.D. by Muzaffer Pasha

GREAT INN ( Büyük Han )

The granite column in the Ataturk square was erected by the Venetians in 1550. It used to bear the St. Mark lion.

VENETIAN COLUMN ( Venedik Sütunu )

The most notable of the mosques built by the Turks in Nicosia is the Arap Ahmet Mosque. The mosque, like many others, was constructed on the site of an old Latin church.

the grave of Kamil Pasha, born in 1832 in Nicosia, who rose to the rank of Grand Vizier in the Ottoman Empire 4 times.

ARAP AHMET MOSQUE (Arap Ahmet Camii)

The St. Catherine church was built in the fourteenth century and converted into a mosque after the Ottomans gained control of the island.

Historian Sir Harry Luke describes it as the most elegant and perfect Gothic building in Cyprus.

HAYDARPASA MOSQUE ( St. Catherine Cathedral )

THE LOGO

The Spiritual Heart of North Cyprus

BEDESTEN ( The St. Nicholas Church )

Nicosia wall

The Cannons

The Cannons

Crescent moon

Ottoman Empire

Nazar (Blue Beads)

The "Evil Eye" is a common belief among the people of the Mediterranean. It is widely believed that if one person gives another a hateful look, he or she may become ill or die from its negative effects. The strength behind the evil look is the "evil eye". This belief streches back to the pre-Christian era.

The Spiritual Heart of North Cyprus

It has a rich natural heritage and resources.

It also has a quite important architectural heritage with many old churches and medieval

the capital and the largest city of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

The Spiritual Heart of North Cyprus

The Spiritual Heart of North Cyprus

THE END