Nicosia — Capital of Cyprus

Nicosia — known in Greek as Lefkosia and in Turkish as Lefkoşa — is the capital of Cyprus and holds the melancholy distinction of being the world's last divided capital city. A UN Buffer Zone, commonly called the Green Line, cuts through the city and the entire island, separating the Republic of Cyprus in the south from the Turkish-occupied north. The division has been in place since 1974, when Turkey launched a military intervention following a coup attempt by Greek Cypriot nationalists seeking union with Greece.

The Republic of Cyprus joined the European Union in 2004, creating an unprecedented situation: an EU member state with part of its territory under military occupation by a candidate country (Turkey). The Annan Plan for reunification, put to referendum that same year, produced a paradoxical result — Turkish Cypriots voted in favour, while Greek Cypriots voted against it, leaving the island divided.

Nicosia's old city is enclosed by impressive Venetian Walls, built between 1567 and 1570 in anticipation of an Ottoman assault. The walls feature eleven heart-shaped bastions in a distinctive star shape — a Renaissance military design intended to deflect cannonballs. Despite the fortification effort, the Ottomans conquered Cyprus in 1571 after a brutal siege. The walls remain largely intact today.

Cyprus has deep mythological roots: Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, was said to have been born from the sea foam off the coast near Paphos. The island's connection to love and beauty ran through ancient Greek culture, and Cyprus — whose name may be the origin of the word 'copper' (Kypros in Greek) — was a crucial trading hub of the ancient Mediterranean world.