This is part eight of a nine part series on international ghost towns.

Today Varosha, Cyprus’ nickname is “the ghost city,” but in the 1970s, Varosha was the most popular tourist destination in Cyprus, and one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. The town was filled with high rise buildings, hotels, restaurants, shops, bars and nightclubs ready to cater to guests like Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton and Bridget Bardot.

On July 20, 1974, Turkey invaded the area. The Turkish Army and Greek Cypriot Army met in Famagusta, the town of which Varosha is a part. About 15,000 residents evacuated the area, fearing for their lives. Turkey took control of Varosha, fenced it off and prohibited anyone but members of the Turkish military and members of the United Nations from entering. Those Varoshan citizens who fled Varosha became refugees and remade their lives in other parts of Cyprus. In 1984, the United Nations declared no one was allowed to settle Varosha but its inhabitants. These inhabitants do not include the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, and since the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus physically controls the area, no one is allowed to live in Varosha. Today, only members of the Turkish Armed Forces or local students who live in a girls dormitory are allowed in Varosha.

Since 1974, no one has maintained Varosha’s infrastructure. Buildings are falling apart and nature is claiming the area. The only regular residents are the sea turtles who nest on Varosha’s beaches and the snakes who inhabit the old hotels.

Images via My Greek Odyssey, Vikimach via Wikimedia Commons, Ballantyne108 via Wikimedia Commons, Simon Ward, Abandoned Places, Japanese Nostalgic Car, Sometimes Interesting, Forbidden Places and Rag-Picking History.
Video via .
Via The Weather Channel, Wikipedia, Urban Ghosts, The New York Times and What’s On North Cyprus.