Ledra Street

　　    Ledra Street in the Old Town is the most bustling area in all of Nicosia. It is lined with shops and offers a wide array of goods. In 1489, after the Venetians occupied the island, they built a circular wall in the city center along with 11 heart-shaped bastions, which remain well-preserved to this day. Located at the heart within the walls is the Selimiye Mosque, which was originally the Gothic Cathedral of Saint Sophia, construction of which began in 1209 and was completed in 1235. After the Turkish invasion in 1570, two minarets were added, and the following year, it was officially converted into a mosque.

　　    In 1954, it was formally renamed the Selimiye Mosque in honor of Sultan Selim II, who conquered Cyprus. – The Archbishop’s Palace and St. John’s Church, built during the Crusades, are typical examples of Greek Orthodox churches in the city and now serve as office buildings for the island’s cultural research departments. Additionally, there are also some notable Byzantine-period (330–1191) structures that are quite distinctive.

　　    The small streets and alleys of the inner city, with traditional handicrafts and leather shops often displaying their goods on the sidewalks, twist and turn like a maze. Strolling through them is like stepping back into a medieval old town. The famous Cyprus Museum houses and displays a variety of artifacts from the Neolithic Age to the Roman period.

　　    The new districts extending outward from the Old Town present a completely different scene: the streets are wide, the urban landscape neat and bustling, roads crisscrossing with ceaseless traffic flow; the well-developed telecommunications industry, along with modern-designed, luxuriously decorated hotels and office buildings, attract a large number of domestic and international tourists and investors.

　　    In July 1974, after Turkey deployed troops to the island, the urban area was artificially divided into Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot zones in the north and south. There is no free movement between the zones, and the dividing line is guarded by United Nations forces, with sentry posts of Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot soldiers on either side, thus artificially splitting Nicosia into two parts.

　　 Nicosia, Cyprus