The way things were
The Leventis Museum in Nicosia has an archive of 20,000 old photographs of the area. Some of the best are now on display
As the barricades that separated Ledra Street were torn down last week, our capital took on a different dimension. With a newly paved road linking north and south Nicosia, a piece of land that remained frozen in time for the past 45 years was suddenly brought to life with the buzz of enthusiastic crowds. As photographers snapped away in an attempt to document the changes, the pictures taken will be studied in years to come as future generations look back on a period of time that is perhaps beyond their comprehension.
Cities are all about change – whether it’s a new road that’s constructed, a theatre that is built or towering buildings that suddenly change the cityscape. But Nicosia is a rather special and different case. Divided, it’s a place that has endured countless wounds that go back long before the Turkish invasion of 1974.
First inhabited 5,000 years ago, it only became the capital of the country in the 8th century as a result of Arab raids on the island, with many people abandoning coastal areas to seek refuge inland. As time went by, Nicosia passed through various hands. The Lusignans developed the culture and architecture of the city, while the Venetians fortified it with new walls. Then came major change when Nicosia was taken over by the Ottoman Turks in 1570, only to be passed over to the British in 1878.
It was at this point that the capital began to develop its European character, as government buildings and courthouses were built, public schools founded and new roads constructed as the city expanded outside the walls. The area around Ledra Street soon became the busiest in the district as merchants met up, shops thrived and crowds enjoyed leisurely days out.
In 1959 Cyprus was declared an independent republic but trouble riddled the city soon after in 1964 when Turkish Cypriots barricaded themselves in their neighbourhoods after brief internal conflict. As the ‘green line’ came into existence, the invasion of 1974 was the final blow which conclusively divided the area into two distinct zones.
This week, the exhibition space within the Leventis Municipal Museum in Nicosia is filled with over 100 photos of the capital from times gone by. “We have a big photo archive here at the museum with over 20,000 pictures of Old Nicosia. The photos now going on show are a selection of the very best of these images, giving the public a glimpse of what life used to be like,” says museum curator, Loukia Hadjigavriel.
“There are old buildings, people celebrating at festivals, schools, street life – just about anything you can imagine. With some of them being the first pictures that ever circulated on the island, they give an insight into the way things were from the 1840s until the present day.”
The pictures show a world very different to the one we have become accustomed to, with parts of Nicosia resembling what we would now describe as a village. Particularly impressive are the first pictures ever taken of Ledra Street, in 1900 when it was called ‘makridromos’, best translated as the ‘long road’.
“The face of Nicosia has changed in ways that are sometimes hard to imagine. One of my personal favourite images shows the way in which the presidential palace was rebuilt in 1932 after it was burnt by a terrific fire the previous year,” says Loukia.
Other stunning pictures are those of Eleftheria Square, with individuals dressed in particularly eye catching fashions and cars that have become collector’s items today.
“We called the whole exhibition ‘Memories of the People of Nicosia’ because it digs deep into the past and we would love the older generation to come and give us their opinion, to let us in on their memories and all the things that we may not have down on paper,” Loukia says. “It’s also a very useful exhibition for students studying history, perhaps researching society in the 1800s, or the ways in which the architecture has changed through the decades.”
Many of the images are in black and white, with a few coloured prints adding a bit of variety. Most of the pictures on show have titles with a brief account beside them, but some cannot be traced to any specific person or place and remain without description. Perhaps these are the best pictures of all, as they allow for thoughts to run wild and the past to become a vibrant story as it plays wild games with our imagination.
Memories of the People of Nicosia
A photographic exhibition from the archives of the Leventis Municipal Museum. Until May 4. Leventis Municipal Museum, Laiki Gitonia, Nicosia. 10am-3.30pm except Mondays. Tel: 22-661475
