Karavas
Encyclopedia
Karavas is the sister village
of Lapithos
in the
Kyrenia District
of Cyprus
. The village resides in the Turkish Occupied Part of Cyprus It is built on the ruins of Lampousa one of the ten ancient Greek city-kingdoms of Cyprus
. The name Karavas is Greek
from the word karavi (καράβι) which means ship.
Karavas was captured by the Turkish Army
during the second Turkish invasion
after July 20, 1974. Prior to the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus, Karavas had a 100% Greek population of approximately 3000.
The Turkish army, after surrounding both Lapithos and Karavas from 3 sides, attacked the morning of Tuesday August 6, 1974 deploying the full force of their 28th division. This division consisted of the 61st, and 23rd infantry regiments, a commando regiment, an amphibious commando regiment, a tank unit of 30 tanks with 3 tanks from the 39th division, 2 artillery units of 105 mm and 7,5/18 cannons, with the addition of the Navy that was bombarding the two villages from the sea.
All Greek Cypriot inhabitants were forced out of Karavas by Turkish military forces and have become refugees within Cyprus.
"Pente Mili" was one of the most beautiful beaches in Karavas.
The Cyprus Treasure, an impressive gold and silver collection of vessels, dishes, and jewelry, was found here in 1902 and 1917. It can be found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art
in New York City
and the Cyprus Museum in Nicosia
.
Karavas is the ancestral village of the British
pop singer
George Michael
.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
of Lapithos
Lapithos
Lapithos or Lapethos is a town of Kyrenia District on the northern coast of Cyprus. According to Strabo, the settlement was founded by Spartans. In Assyrian inscriptions, Lapithos is mentioned as one of the eleven Cypriot kingdoms. During the Persian rule, Lapithos was settled by Phoenicians...
in the
Kyrenia District
Kyrenia District
Kyrenia District is one of the six districts of Cyprus. Its main town is Kyrenia . It is the smallest of Cyprus' districts, and is the only one fully controlled by the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, recognised only by Turkey....
of Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
. The village resides in the Turkish Occupied Part of Cyprus It is built on the ruins of Lampousa one of the ten ancient Greek city-kingdoms of Cyprus
Ten city-kingdoms of Cyprus
The ten city-kingdoms of ancient Cyprus were the Greek, Graeco-Phoenician or Graeco-Eteocypriot, states listed in an inscription of the Assyrian king Esarhaddon in 673-672 BC:*Paphos, Πάφος *Salamis, Σαλαμίς *Soloi, Σόλοι...
. The name Karavas is Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
from the word karavi (καράβι) which means ship.
Karavas was captured by the Turkish Army
Turkish Army
The Turkish Army or Turkish Land Forces is the main branch of the Turkish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The modern history of the army began with its formation after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire...
during the second Turkish invasion
Turkish invasion of Cyprus
The Turkish invasion of Cyprus, launched on 20 July 1974, was a Turkish military invasion in response to a Greek military junta backed coup in Cyprus...
after July 20, 1974. Prior to the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus, Karavas had a 100% Greek population of approximately 3000.
The Turkish army, after surrounding both Lapithos and Karavas from 3 sides, attacked the morning of Tuesday August 6, 1974 deploying the full force of their 28th division. This division consisted of the 61st, and 23rd infantry regiments, a commando regiment, an amphibious commando regiment, a tank unit of 30 tanks with 3 tanks from the 39th division, 2 artillery units of 105 mm and 7,5/18 cannons, with the addition of the Navy that was bombarding the two villages from the sea.
All Greek Cypriot inhabitants were forced out of Karavas by Turkish military forces and have become refugees within Cyprus.
"Pente Mili" was one of the most beautiful beaches in Karavas.
The Cyprus Treasure, an impressive gold and silver collection of vessels, dishes, and jewelry, was found here in 1902 and 1917. It can be found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and the Cyprus Museum in Nicosia
Nicosia
Nicosia from , known locally as Lefkosia , is the capital and largest city in Cyprus, as well as its main business center. Nicosia is the only divided capital in the world, with the southern and the northern portions divided by a Green Line...
.
Karavas is the ancestral village of the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
pop singer
Pop Singer
"Pop Singer" is the début single from London-based glam rockers Rachel Stamp. It was released in February, 1996 through WEA. The single was released as a 2 track CD Single and limited edition pink 7" vinyl of 1000 copies...
George Michael
George Michael
George Michael is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer who rose to fame in the 1980s when he formed the pop duo Wham! with his school friend, Andrew Ridgeley...
.