Skip to content
Assignment: The 'ghost city' of Cyprus episode artwork

Sep 3, 2024 26 min

Assignment: The 'ghost city' of Cyprus

from The Documentary Podcast Hosted by BBC World Service

The once glamorous Cypriot beach resort of Varosha has stood empty and frozen in time since war divided the island 50 years ago, but it is now partially open to tourists and there are hotly contested plans for its renewal. Maria Margaronis speaks to Varosha's former inhabitants - mostly Greek Cypriots - who fled in 1974 when Turkish troops invaded the island and have been unable to return ever since, after Turkey fenced off the town as a bargaining chip for future peace negotiations. Some of these Varoshians want to rebuild the resort together with the island's Turkish Cypriots - a potential model for diffusing hostilities across the whole island - and the UN says its original inhabitants must be allowed to return. But, following decades of failed peace talks, the internationally unrecognised Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which controls Varosha, now says it intends to re-open and redevelop the entire town.

Episode details come from the podcast's RSS feed.

Embed this episode

Ready to play

Assignment: The 'ghost city' of Cyprus

0:00 26:58

No transcript yet.

Requests help us decide what to transcribe next.

Frequently asked questions

How long is this episode of The Documentary Podcast?

This episode is 26 minutes long.

When was this The Documentary Podcast episode published?

This episode was published on September 3, 2024.

Can I download this The Documentary Podcast episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.