Archaeological site in occupied Cyprus sold for 'development'

View of Chrysokava before the Turkish invasion of 1974 [Credit: Αθ. Παπαγεωργίου]

View of Chrysokava as it is today [Credit: Αντρέας Κελέσιης]

TANN

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As a new round of intensified negotiations gets underway, the occupied areas have decided to give a protected piece of land in Kyrenia to a Turkish Cypriot buyer, Sigma reported on Thursday.The so called Cabinet has given the area of ancient Chrysokavas, a protected archaeological site, to Suat Guncel, who is the founder of the so called universities of the near east and Kyrenia.Specifically, Guncel received the whole of the waterfront in Chrysokavas, which contains a piece of the protected archaeological site in Kyrenia, Sigma reported.Media in the occupied areas have also been reported to be in uproar after the decision of the so called ‘government’ to give Guncel the land for the next 50 years.The so called former ‘head of the antiquities department’ in the occupied areas has called the whole situation a “fiasco” in a statement to Havadis newspaper.Kudret Ozersay, the head of the People’s Party, called on the so called ‘government’ to recant their decision, adding in a sarcastic statement that the archaeological sites of Salamina and Engomi should be handed over to him as well.Guncel recently funded the largest mosque built in the so called university of the near east, which was estimated to have cost approximately 30 million dollars.Chrysokavas, Sigma reported, is approximately one kilometre east of the castle in Kyrenia, next to the new port in the city. The area is home to three important Byzantine monuments: the ancient Christian cemetery, the vaulted church of St Catherine, and the partly stone-carved monastery of Ayia Mavri with its important Byzantine wall murals dating from the 10th century.