Whether Nicosia, Cyprus, is “off the beaten path” depends on your geographic perspective.

For Americans, Cyprus might be under the radar, largely because there is currently no nonstop air service from the United States to the island nation. Now that major cruise lines have Cyprus on their Mediterranean itineraries, however, it’s entering the American tourist vernacular.

On the other hand, if you view the world from Europe, you probably know Cyprus well. With its sunny Mediterranean climate and miles of attractive beach, Cyprus is a favorite holiday destination for northern Europeans.

Its enviable, sometimes precarious, position at the crossroads of Europe, Africa and the Middle East, means Cyprus has always been favored — by someone. Since the dawn of recorded time — no mere abstract concept on Cyprus, where remains of the Neolithic Choirokoitia settlement date from the 7th millennium B.C. — the island has been visited/invaded/ occupied by the Greeks, Assyrians, Phoenicians, Turks, Venetians and British. More recently, in 2006, Cyprus was a safe haven for some 60,000 Lebanese refugees evacuated during an Israeli skirmish with Hezbollah.

But the event that has affected Cyprus most — its scars still evident — is the Turkish occupation of Northern Cyprus. This thorny subject provokes a strong response from Cypriots, all of whom have been affected by it.

After Cyprus gained independence from Great Britain in 1960, the fledgling government of the newly sovereign nation reputedly considered uniting with Greece. While that might have pleased members of the Greek Cypriot majority, it did not sit well with the Turkish Cypriot minority who comprised nearly 20 percent of the population.

Ironically, until that point Greek and Turkish Cypriots had traditionally been peaceable neighbors, living comfortably side by side. Yet as political conflict escalated in the 1960s — and especially after Turkey invaded the northern part of the island in 1974 — those stable mixed neighborhoods were forcibly dismantled, with the end result being that Turkish Cypriots were relocated to the northern, Turkish-occupied third of the island, and Greek Cypriots sent to the south.

The capital, Nicosia (known on the Greek side as Lefkosia), became a divided city, with a wall built to separate north from south and a United Nations-monitored buffer zone — the “Green Line” — in between. When the Berlin Wall came down in 1989, the signs in Nicosia went up, proclaiming its unhappy distinction as “the world’s last divided capital.”

Nowhere was the divide more visible than on Ledra Street, a placid thoroughfare in Nicosia’s Laiki Geitonia pedestrian district. Amid its shops and friendly street life, what drew the most attention was the concrete wall that blocked Ledra Street at its northern end. Beyond the wall was 55 yards of U.N. buffer zone, then another wall and beyond that: Turkish Nicosia.

Bizarrely, a viewing platform was built alongside the wall, from which people on the Greek side could peer over and wave to those on the Turkish side, who, more often than not, waved back from their own viewing platform. Nearby, the 11th-floor observation area of the Ledra Museum gave visitors a full panorama of the Turkish side — including the Greek Orthodox churches “retrofitted” as mosques — but the Ledra Street wall made a bigger impact.

In 2003, several crossings between north and south Nicosia were opened and transit restrictions eased slightly. Then something truly incredible occurred.

Before midnight on March 8, 2007, bulldozers rumbled down Ledra Street. Almost no one knew they were coming and almost no one was there to see them set to work tearing down the Ledra Street wall. By 3 a.m. on March 9, the most symbolic section of the Green Line wall was gone.

Nearly everyone was shocked by the unannounced move by the Cyprus government. Not least, the officials on the Turkish side, who had made overtures toward opening Ledra Street a few years earlier by building a footbridge across half the buffer zone and indicating that the Greek side might meet them halfway — literally — by completing it.

The Ledra Street crossing is not open yet, but it could be soon and there’s good reason to think it will function successfully. Since transit restrictions were eased in 2003 some 12 million crossings of Greek and Turkish Cypriots have taken place without serious incident.

In a recent speech, Andreas Kakouris, ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus to the United States, noted, “I think [this] clearly defeats what was being peddled by some who sought to keep Greek and Turkish Cypriots apart, namely that as soon as [they] get together, there would be conflict.”

Probably what rankles most today is the question of E.U. membership — or lack thereof. Its occupation of Northern Cyprus is widely considered the main barrier to Turkey’s acceptance into the European Union. Meanwhile, the two-thirds of the island that comprises the Republic of Cyprus joined the European Union in 2004, and its government contends that many of the Turkish Cypriots who now cross into the south do so to apply for documentation that would entitle them to the benefits of European Union citizenship.

Much of what distinguishes Cyprus today derives from the island’s unique cultural heritage. The excellent Cyprus Handicraft Center in Nicosia, administered by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, serves as a studio and learning center for woodworkers, lacemakers, potters, embroiderers and others who practice and preserve Cypriot artisanship. Within the academic and museum communities, Cyprus works diligently for restoration of its looted artifacts. In January 2007, six painted icons dating from the 13th through the 16th centuries, stolen in the 1930s, were returned to the Church of Cyprus.

Cyprus’ top exports are agricultural products, which thrive in its pristine Mediterranean climate (and make dining there a flavorful delight). Supporting its claim as Europe’s oldest wine-making country — winemaking artifacts from 3000 B.C. have been found there — Cyprus grows outstanding grapes, including the local varieties Mavro, Xynisteri and Maratheftiko. Its citrus fruit is excellent and its firm-textured Halloumi cheese is now a trademarked Cypriot appellation. In 2005, Cyprus produced 5,136 tons of Halloumi of which 4,068 were exported.

Quietly industrious, Cypriots simply go about their business. Even in Nicosia, the governmental and financial center, there’s a noticeable absence of horn-honking and aggravation. There are jobs — Cyprus has the thirdlowest unemployment rate in the European Union — there’s enough to eat and crime rates are low.

Yet the quiet, day-to-day acceptance of a divided Cyprus could be perpetuating its low profile. “Some look at Cyprus and say, ‘Well there may not be peace, but there is quiet and that is comfortable,’” Ambassador Kakouris said. “[But] it’s not comfortable, not at all.”

Better than quiet might be the sound of more bulldozers rumbling through Nicosia to dismantle another section of the Green Line wall.

Entry Requirements

U.S. citizens require a passport to visit Cyprus. Visas are required for stays of longer than 90 days. U.S. citizens may transit between Cyprus and Turkish Northern Cyprus; check with the embassy (http://www.cyprusembassy.net) before your visit regarding current regulations and restrictions.

More Information

Cyprus Trade Centre
13 E. 40th St.
New York, N.Y. 10016
tel 212 213 9100
http://www.cyprustradeny.org