FAMAGUSTA

Greek Ammkhostos, Turkish Gazimagusa, a major port in the Turkish Cypriot-administered area of Cyprus. It lies on the east coast in a bay between Capes Greco and Eloea, east of Nicosia, and possesses the deepest harbour in Cyprus. Famagusta is a Frankish corruption of its Greek name, which means buried in the sand, descriptive of the silted mouth of the Pedieos River north of the town. It was founded as Arsinoe by the Macedonian Egyptian king Ptolemy II (308246 BC). An influx of Christian refugees fleeing the downfall of Acre (1291) in Palestine transformed it from a tiny village into one of the richest cities in Christendom. In 1372 the port was seized by Genoa and in 1489 by Venice, and in 1571 it fell to the Turks. Ravaged by war and earthquakes, the old walled town is now only partially inhabited, but it contains some of the finest examples of medieval military architecture extant and the 14th-century Gothic-style Cathedral of St. Nicholas, now a mosque. Under British administration (18781960) the modern section, called Varosha, was developed in large part as a tourist resort. After the Turkish intervention in 1974, Varosha was sealed off to civilians and tourism ceased. In 1975, portable items, including automobiles, were confiscated from Varosha and sent to Turkey or redistributed locally. Settlers from mainland Turkey were relocated in Famagusta, parts of Varosha (after 1976), and in the surrounding citrus-growing areas. Ferry service, begun in 1978 between Mersin, Turkey, and Latakia, Syria, includes Famagusta in its run. Pop. (1987 est.) 20,003.