The Medieval City of Famagusta, Cyprus Oct 29, 2015

By Chris Krzentz……..

In this video I visited the ancient city of Famagusta so do join me on my walk as we hear the music which brings forth the past as we start our walk and pass both new and ancient buildings in Kişla Yolu Sokak.

This journey through this ancient part of the city was made on the 29th October 2015 and we starting walking past Ottoman buildings on the right with modern days shops and apartments above them on the left.

As we approach the town square we see on the right the remains of the portico of the Venetian Royal Palace and as we look to the right across the square can see the Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque (St Nicholas Cathedral).

Turning to our right now, we walk through the remains of the Venetian Royal Palace which was constructed in 1550 on the ruins of a former 13th century Lusignan palace which had been used by the Kings of Cyprus until it was destroyed in an earthquake in the reign of Peter II in 1369.

The remains of the Venetian palace are all that remains following its destruction by the Ottomans after they forced the Venetians to surrender the city on 1st August 1571.

In the grounds of the palace is a two-story building built by the Ottomans in which the poet Namik Kemal was imprisoned for 8 months by the Ottomans in 1873 for staging a play which promoted nationalism and liberalism which led to his exile to Cyprus and the current building contains a museum about Namik Kemal.

As we walk across the town square and see the many bars and restaurants and people going about their every day life, we see the grand Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque (St Nicholas Cathedral). The building of the cathedral was started around 1298 and lasted to 1312 on what was believed to be the ground of a previous church.

After the fall of Famagusta to the Ottomans, they added a minaret to the northern tower and it was converted into a mosque.

Sit back and enjoy the video and if you like my videos, feel free to subscribe to my global YouTube channel click here and you can also find me by clicking on the following links Facebook, Chris Krzentz Presents, Cyprus Culture Group, Twitter, LinkedIn,

To read my article and see the video of “The Ayia Sophia Mosque in North Nicosia, Cyprus” please click here

Boomtown Rats rock Famagusta!

By Steven Roberts…….

Legendary Irish rockers the Boomtown Rats played to a large crowd at the Eastern Mediterranean University sports field on Friday 21st April.. The event was the 7^th annual ‘Rock n’EMU’ concert, admission was free, and it was open to students and local residents.

The evening started with a performance by local group the Mağusa Müzik Band. They were a large band of good musicians who played a number of well known cover versions from well known artists (including Bob Marley and Osibisa) very well. They got the interest going, and warmed the crowd up well for the main event.

After a suitable interval, The Boomtown Rats took to the stage and powered straight into their first number, followed immediately by the catchy “Like Clockwork”. It is only when I heard the first few numbers live that I realised how the power of the tight rhythm section of drummer Simon Crowe and bass player Pete Briquette provide the foundation for the whole performance.

Singer Bob Geldof, now aged 65, showed amazing energy and ran from side to side of the stage while singing “(She’s Gonna) Do You In” then spoke to the crowd for the first time. He denounced the culture of the surveillance society as an introduction to the band’s powerful “Always Someone Looking at You”, one of the highlights of their set.

Bob Geldof then reminded the crowd that the band were from Dublin, another divided island. “We’re from Ireland” he said. “We don’t like nationalism – it kills people!” This was a lead into “Banana Republic” which denounced the role of Priests in their ‘sceptic isle’

(He also denounced Erdogan and Putin which seemed to go down well with the audience!).

At one point Bob asked the audience the question. “How long does it take to get from Larnaca to Famagusta?” My immediate thought was “just over an hour, Bob,” but of course his question was rhetorical, and he replied “40 years!” He then urged people to ignore politicians, imams and priests and unite.

Following this the band stormed into a fast paced version of “She’s so Modern” before the thoughtful and poignant “I Don’t like Mondays.” and after two more numbers closed the set with two hits form 1977/8, “Looking after no 1” and “Rat Trap”. They returned for an encore with “Diamond Smiles.”

There was a good crowd present, difficult to estimate numbers but several thousand. The majority were probably EMU students, yet they seemed to know the songs and were a very enthusiastic audience. Many were waving mobile ‘phones and cameras, so I’m sure there are loads of ‘photos in circulation. I must admit it feels a bit strange when you are one of the oldest people at a gig like this, but comforting to know that at least I’m younger than all the band members!

The Boomtown Rats formed in the mid-1970s and broke up in 1986. In 2013, four of the original members reformed the band, Pete Briquette (bass), Simon Crowe (drums), Gary Roberts (lead guitar) and Bob Geldof (vocals). Two others, Johnnie Fingers (keyboards) and Gerry Cott (guitarist) did not rejoin, but the band have added new musicians to stay as a six piece.

I’ve seen other ‘historic’ bands like The Animals, Barclay James Harvest, and both versions of Wishbone Ash, but all of these have one original member, and whilst they sound good, it is not quite the real thing. However the Boomtown Rats really are the band you expect, and I have a feeling they are playing better today than they ever did.

The success of this event, and the Deep Purple concert a few years ago shows there is an audience for top acts on this island. Let’s hope it is not too long before others come and perform in Cyprus.

Editor’s note:

For those folk who could not be there to see The Boomtown Rats in Famagusta, we show below a great video recording placed on Youtube by Iain Jordan.

Boomtown Rats play Famagusta on Friday 21st April 2017

By Steven Roberts…….

Irish rock band, the Boomtown Rats will be in Cyprus this week, performing at the 7th annual ‘Rock n’EMU’ event at Eastern Mediterranean University this Friday 21st Apri!. The event will be at the stadium on the University Campus, the general public is invited, and entrance will be free. The event starts at 7:30 PM, and the support act is the local Mağusa Müzik Band.

The Boomtown Rats were originally comprised of six members mostly from the Dun Laoghaire area. They formed in 1975, and had their first chart success with “Looking After no. 1” in 1977, followed by the single “Mary of the 4th Form” which was also from their debut album. The follow up LP “Tonic for the Troops” spawned three single successes, “Like Clockwork”, “She’s so Modern” and “Rat Trap” (which reached number one). In 1979 the band recorded their third album with the single “I Don’t Like Mondays” which probably is remembered as much for its striking video as for the music. The song told a powerful story about a school shooting in America that shocked the world at the time, but sadly has been followed by so many more similar tragedies since.

The band had some success with their next two albums, and associated singles, but did not reach the levels of their earlier triumphs, and they called it a day in 1986.

In the meantime lead singer Bob Geldof achieved worldwide fame (and an honorary Knighthood) for his work on famine relief. Prompted by Miucahel Buerk’s harrowing reports from Ethiopia he got a load of famous musicians together to record the charity single “Do They Know It’s Christmas” at the end of 2004. He then followed this with the idea for the Live Aid concerts in London and Philadelphia in the summer of 2005.

After a couple of one-off gigs and guest performances, the Boomtown Rats reformed in 2013. Bob Geldof said, “Playing again with the Rats and doing those great songs again will be exciting and fresh. We were an amazing band and I just feel it’s the right time to re-Rat, to go back to Boomtown for a visit.”

The current version of the Boomtown Rats comprises four of the original six members, and they have been touring steadily since they re-formed. After Famagusta they will go on to play in England, Austria, Norway, and back home in Ireland.

This is a rare opportunity to see a famous band in North Cyprus, and it would be good to see them play to a packed stadium in Famagusta and to tempt you to join them, we have included below a video showing The Boomtown Rats singing that famous song, I Don’t Like Mondays.

The Turkish Cypriot Presidential Symphony Orchestra February Concerts

For lovers of classical music, we are delighted to bring news of the Turkish Cypriot Presidential Symphony Orchestra concerts during February 2017.

Conductor, Ali Hoca

Solists: Çellistanbul (Çağ Erçağ, Melih Kara, Murat Berk, Knut Weber)

Admission free of charge.

Friday February 24, starting at 20.00pm

Yakın Doğu University Atatürk Culture and Congress Centre, Nicosia

Saturday, February 25, starting at 20.00pm

Rauf Raif Denktaş Culture and Congress Centre, Famagusta

Jane Nubley raises 560TL for Tulips in December 2016

Hi,

A regular supporter of Tulips, Jane Nubley, who participated in our “Step Out For Tulips” challenge, organised a coach trip for a group of friends to visit the new shopping mall in Famagusta and wondered how she could raise money for Tulips at the same time.

By Carol Blackwell Gibbs………

Friday 11th November

at The Colony hotel’s roof top theatre see the start of the Cyprus musical tour of “Barnabas”.

By Ismail Veli…….

Every City, town, village and settlement have names. We no doubt take these names as a natural way of things. Most of us don’t normally concern ourselves with where the names originated from. Hastings, Walton, Montana, New York, Los Angeles are common, even days and months like Thursday or July have their origins that have some significance in world history. Some individuals like myself are often fascinated with such issues. Maybe a bit too much for I’m finding myself constantly in search of historic or cultural subjects that takes ages to research. Some may call me a bit ‘Nutty’ but to me it’s fascinating.

When I was a young lad the school took us on a day trip to Hastings. As a young lad of Cypriot origin the name sounded strange but interesting. Though my English at that stage in my life was probably not as good as children who were born and grew up in the UK, the one advantage I had above most in my class was my fascination. I became immensely interested in British history before and during the Roman period. Anglo Saxon, Viking and the Norman invasion and conquest of England in 1066. The battle of Hastings was the last time Britain was invaded successfully. I found myself copying, painting and researching the Bayeux tapestry depicting the battle constantly.

Hastings itself was a small town named after the Saxon family of Haesta. Most towns in the UK ending with ‘ING’ for example Hastings simply means the ‘the people of Haesta’. Reading ‘the people of Raeda.’ if ‘HAM’ is added, for example Birmingham this then means ‘the farm of Birma’s people.’ Wokingham means ‘the farm of Wocca’s people,’ while Woking would be ”the people of Wocca” and so on. Walton on the other hand may have meant a ”Wall or wood town.’ Even well known names like Essex (East Saxons), Wessex (West Saxons) are sadly unknown to many younger generations. These days we use the name ‘Borough’ to indicate an extended administrative area. It originates from the fact that a ‘Burh’ was a fortified town which normally controlled the outlying farms and villages. The make up of the early Angles, Saxons, Jutes and Vikings was warlike but their Gods, myths and warrior traditions have left a lasting impact on British society. Thursday is named after the Norse God of thunder and lightning.”Thor,” Wednesday after the Saxon god of war ”Woden.” Even the months of the year are named after leaders of the past.

Many know that July and August are named after Julius Caesar (Giulio Cesare) and August after Augustus Caesar (Gaius Octavius) in fact Famagusta the famous Cypriot town is named after Augustus. It simply means Fama-Agusto (The famous Augustus). Its original name of Arsinoe was changed due to the fact that it reminded Agustus of Cleopatra’s sister ‘Arsinoe’ whom he detested and murdered in cold blood. December was considered to be the 10th month therefore it was named Dicember (Dice in Latin is ten). This was due to the fact that the Romans had 10 months in a year, therefore November derives from the number nine (Novembris mensis/ninth month) in Latin. March was the first month named after the god of Mars ”Martius mensis/month of Mars’.’

famagusta-was-originally-arsinoe — **Famagusta was originally called Arsinoe**

In France the capital city is named due to fact that it was the homeland of the Celtic ‘Parisii’ tribe. In addition there was a Parisi tribe that lived in the area of Yorkshire in Britain. There may be a link between the ancient tribes but it’s not 100% certain. Chalbici tribe now Chablais (Not to be confused with Chablis) on the north coast of Lake Geneva. Iberia in Spain is simply a shortened version of ”Celti-Beria,” due to the Celts and Iberians who lived there before the Roman conquest of Hispania in 206 BC in the second Punic war against Hannibal and the Carthaginians. The name Iberia became the term many Romans used to describe the ‘Iberian Peninsular,’ which is still in use today. Iskenderun in Turkey derives from the Arabic/Turkish name for Alexander/Iskender.

The America’s named after Amerigo Vespucci, the Italian explorer who navigated and proved that the continents of North and South America had nothing to do with Asia. The name West Indies stuck however. This was originally believed to be India discovered from the West by Christopher Columbus. Mexico city is a name collectively given to the more than 60 tribes that inhabited the area before the Spanish conquest of what is today known as Latin America. Among a few of these indigenous tribes were the Aztec, Mixtec, Zapotec, Totonec and Toltecs to name but a few. Most of the Spanish who settled in these lands between 1492 to the early 1800’s were from the area of Spain controlled by the Crown of Castillo, therefore most Latin Americans speak the Castilian form of Spanish (except for Brazil which speaks Portuguese). It’s estimated that no less than 18 million Spanish settled in these ‘New Lands.’ This continued with a further 3-4 million after the mid 1850’s.

miwok-indians-of-yosemite-park-california-2

A sad by-product of this was that out of the estimated 20 million indigenous people of Mexico in the 15-16 century only about 1-2 million survived. This is also true of the area now known as the USA. States like Indiana, Idaho, Dakota to name a few are names of the original Indians who lived there. The Appalachian mountains are named after the Apalachee who lived in the area. Ottawa in Canada is another name of Indian tribes. Quebec (Kebec) simply means ”where the river narrows,” in the language of the Algonquins who lived there. The famous city of Los Angeles simply means ”City of the angels.” Montana is a Spanish word for mountains simply because of the region’s mountainous terrain. The famous Grand Teton mountains were named by the French trappers due to the massive 3 peaks that dominate this area, the original name simply means the 3 breasts (Le Trois Tetons) The highest of the three is literally Grand Teton ”the big tit.”

yosemite-national-park-california-amd-its-mountains — **Yosemite National Park, California and its mountains**

Many place names in the USA also have Spanish names like El Dorado (city of gold). Las Vegas (the meadows). Rio Grande (the great river) New Mexico is the English name of Nuevo Mexico. Then there are some disputed names like Laredo. Some claim it’s Basque in origin meaning ”Beautiful Pastures,” while others claim it means ‘Gull’ in the Latin language. An interesting place is Yosemite National Park in California. The name originates from the Miwok Indians who lived there. Yos-se-miti literally means ”Central Miwok.” had the park been more south it may have acquired the name Yoh-he-miti (Southern Miwok).

One of the most interesting places I have ever travelled to was no doubt the Islands of Hawaii. These are a group of Volcanic islands that rose from the sea less than 5 million years ago. The oldest is the tiny island of Niihau which is only 4.9 million years old. Kauai which means the ”Garden Isle,” is one of the most beautiful and has been used for making films like King Kong. Though only 562 square miles it has an amazing diversity and flora that few in the Hawaiian island chain can match. Waimea Canyon is an incredible place with waterfalls and scenery second to none..

waimea-canyon-on-the-island-of-kauai-and-waimea-falls-island-of-oahu-hawaii — **Waimea canyon on the island of Kauai and Waimea falls on the island of Oahu Hawaii**

The main island is Oahu which means the gathering place and is home to world famous Honolulu literally ”sheltered harbour.” this island rose from the sea no more than 3.7 million years ago. When I first visited these islands in 1985 I was astonished to learn that hardly any flies, snakes or rodents existed on these islands. What there were Europeans brought in their ships in the 18-19th centuries. Sadly the indigenous population was almost decimated by diseases, like smallpox, Cholera and chicken pox which was unknown to these people. With no protection their population was decimated from an estimated 250.000 in 1778 to about 37-38.000 by 1900.

One thing that amazed me was the amazing similarities of the words in the Hawaiin language. This is down to the fact that only 12 letters exist in their alphabet, therefore even diverse names like Kamehameha, (name of the great king who united the Islands known as the great) Kapiolani, (a former queen) Hawaii, Waimea, Kailua have similar letters. Sadly today only a tiny number of original Hawaiians survive. These live untouched on the tiny island of Niihau also nicknamed as the ”Forbidden Island” due to the fact that no one other than the indigenous people are allowed there.

It’s clear from the small sample of place names above that everything has a meaning, much of which seems to have been lost with the passage of time. But one thing is certain, we know enough of our past to uncover the massively rich heritage of human history. What we do know is fascinating to say the least. Amen to that.

Barnabas is coming to Famagusta on Saturday 12th November

Barnabas, the musical by Roger Jones of Christian Music Ministries, will be performed in Famagusta on Saturday November 12th at the Dee European Hotel at 7pm. Doors open 6.15pm.

Ticket details are as follows:

Students, show only 20TL, Adults with a buffet meal 20 Euros or 60TL,

Adults with a buffet meal and sponsoring a student 25 Euros or 75 TL.

Tickets are available from: The Dee European Hotel reception or from Harry or Justin tel: 0533 835 2933

We are extremely grateful to our sponsors:

The Colony hotel, Kyrenia
The Dee European Hotel, Famagusta
and Can Sigorta, Insurance of Nicosia, Kyrenia, Famagusta, Gonyeli and Guzelyurt.

For further information please email me : carol@cansigorta.com,

Carole Blackwell Gibbs
Press officer for Northern Cyprus.

TRNC demands Justice over Car Chase and beating of Turkish Cypriots

TRNC demands Justice

over Car Chase and beating of Turkish Cypriots

Authorities in North Cyprus have condemned an attack against five Turkish Cypriots by three unknown men near Sotira [in South Cyprus] early on Friday, saying it harmed relations between the two communities.

They urged the Greek Cypriot police to find the perpetrators and do everything to prevent such attacks.

A statement from the Turkish Cypriot presidency said they had “immediately contacted the Greek Cypriot side and received information about the attack and the condition of the Turkish Cypriots’ health.” The statement asked the police to “investigate the complaint and do all that is required to bring to justice the perpetrators as soon as possible”.

[Greek Cypriot] police spokesman Andreas Angelides said on Saturday that police were carrying out investigations following allegations by five Turkish Cypriots that they were chased and attacked in the Famagusta district early on Friday.

“Famagusta CID have been working on this from the first moment it was reported,” said Angelides. The men had reported to police that around 4.30 am on Friday they realised they were being followed and had tried to speed off but had been chased along the Frenaros to Augorou road, near the village of Sotira’s farming area. Their car was repeatedly hit from behind before eventually being brought to a standstill.

The three assailants then got out of their vehicle and proceeded to beat up the men using batons and further damaging their car. The men, two of whom were slightly injured managed to get away and call the police, getting treated for their wounds at the accident and emergency department at Famagusta General Hospital.

Source: Cyprus Mail

cyprusscene

Famagusta

The Medieval City of Famagusta, Cyprus Oct 29, 2015

Like this:

Boomtown Rats rock Famagusta!

Like this:

Boomtown Rats play Famagusta on Friday 21st April 2017

Like this:

The Turkish Cypriot Presidential Symphony Orchestra February Concerts

Like this:

Jane Nubley raises 560TL for Tulips in December 2016

Like this:

Barnabas the musical arrives in Kyrenia on Friday 11-11-16

Friday 11th November

Like this:

A fascination with the history of place-names and their origins

Like this:

Barnabas is coming to Famagusta on Saturday 12th November

Like this:

TRNC demands Justice over Car Chase and beating of Turkish Cypriots

TRNC demands Justice

over Car Chase and beating of Turkish Cypriots

Like this:

<<	Sep 2017					>>
M	T	W	T	F	S	S
28	29	30	31	1	2	3
4	5	6	7	8	9	10
11	12	13	14	15	16	17
18	19	20	21	22	23	24
25	26	27	28	29	30	1

Famagusta

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Friday 11th November

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

TRNC demands Justice

over Car Chase and beating of Turkish Cypriots

Share this:

Like this: