Nicosia

Many of the people who are attracted to the Nicosia property market are looking for a place to live rather than a holiday home. Nicosia boasts all the amenities you would expect from the number one city in Cyprus. Some of the most popular areas include Tseri, Strovolos, Latsia and Ayios Pavlos. with such a large choice of areas in and around this great city, anyone searching for Nicosia property will be spoilt for choice.

Nicosia lies roughly in the centre of the island in the Mesaoria Plain, flanked by the beautiful northern range of Kyrenia mountains with its distinctive 'Pentadaktylos" - the five finger mountain.

It has been the capital of Cyprus since the 10th Century and is the seat of government as well as the main business centre.

The heart of the city is surrounded by 16th Century Venetian walls which were constructed between 1567 and 1570. The 4.5 metre thick wall used to have three gates. The Famagusta gate has been restored and is now used as cultural centre. The others are the Kyrenia Gate and the Paphos Gate.

Eleftheria (Freedom) Square is at the heart of the city and links old Nicosia with the elegant modern city that has grown up outside the walls. Ledra street is near by and leads to the most lively part of the old city with narrow streets, boutiques, and cafés.

Next to the Palace of the Archbishop is the late Gothic Saint John cathedral (1665) with its wonderful frescos. The Archbishop's Palace contains a Byzantine museum which holds the largest collection of religious icons on the island.

Nicosia has other fine museums. The Leventis Municipal Museum is the only historical museum of Nicosia and revives the old ways of life in the capital from ancient times up to modern times. Other museums of note include the Folk Art Museum, National Struggle Museum (witnessing the rebellion against the British in the 1950s), Cyprus Ethnological Museum and the Handicrafts Centre.

To walk through the old city is to step backwards in time. Narrow streets and old houses with ornate balconies jut out from weather beaten sandstone walls give Nicosia property its unique look, and craftsmen in small workshops practice trades unchanged for centuries.

Nicosia has a population of around 150,000 and it is divided into Turkish and Greek sectors by a boundary known as the `Green Line' which runs in an east-west direction. It is the last divided city in the world. Many of the property in Nicosia remains untouched since the 1970's. It is now possible to cross the boundary on foot at the Ledra Palace checkpoint and by car at the Metehan (Ayios Dhometios) checkpoint. The north of Cyprus is well worth a visit, particularly the Kyrenia mountains and Kyrenia itself.