Maras town in Northern Cyprus attracting visitors

After staying as 'ghost town' for decades, tourists start coming to Maras as virus measures relaxed

NEWS IN ENGLISH 24.02.2021, 22:20 ALP ERMIYA

Maras town in Northern Cyprus attracting visitors

The town of Maras in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) has started to host visitors after the country began relaxing restrictions to curb the novel coronavirus outbreak.

On Monday, the TRNC gradually started lifting the virus restrictions as the number of cases dropped.

Partially opened on Oct. 8, 2020 after staying as a "ghost town" for decades in the wake of Turkey's 1974 Peace Operation, Maras has attracted both people living in the TRNC, as well as foreign tourists, with the environment and landscape around the town also boosting its appeal.

Some 111,500 people have visited the town, also known as Varosha, since its reopening, according to information from authorities.

The town, which has gotten busier especially on the weekends, is expected to host more visitors in summer.

Simge Garip, a student, told Anadolu Agency that Maras did not deserve to remain closed. The whole world should see this beauty, she added.

"It's good that Maras is reopened. It's as if we were traveling in the past," said Ramazan Atasoy, who works in the TRNC.

"Maras contains a large part of Gazimagusa. If it's fully opened, it would be very good for the country and it would contribute to tourism," said Faruk Talay, another student.

Gunay Aydogan, a resident of the TRNC, said he had visited Maras four times since its reopening.

On Nov. 15, 2020, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited the town on the occasion of the 37th anniversary of the establishment of the TRNC.

The island of Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at Greece’s annexation of the island was followed by violence against the island’s Turks and Ankara’s intervention as a guarantor power.

It has seen an on-and-off peace process in recent years, including a failed 2017 initiative in Switzerland under the auspices of guarantor countries Turkey, Greece, and the UK. The TRNC was founded in 1983.

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Takımlar	O	P
1. Galatasaray	34	93
2. Fenerbahçe	34	89
3. Trabzonspor	34	58
4. Başakşehir	34	52
5. Beşiktaş	34	51
6. Kasımpasa	34	49
7. Rizespor	34	49
8. Alanyaspor	34	48
9. Sivasspor	34	48
10. Antalyaspor	34	45
11. A.Demirspor	34	41
12. Kayserispor	34	40
13. Samsunspor	34	39
14. Ankaragücü	34	38
15. Karagümrük	34	36
16. Konyaspor	34	36
17. Gaziantep FK	34	34
18. Hatayspor	34	33
19. Pendikspor	34	30
20. İstanbulspor	34	16

Takımlar	O	P
1. Eyüpspor	32	72
2. Göztepe	32	66
3. Sakaryaspor	32	57
4. Kocaelispor	32	55
5. Ahlatçı Çorum FK	32	55
6. Bodrumspor	32	53
7. Boluspor	32	50
8. Bandırmaspor	32	47
9. Gençlerbirliği	32	47
10. Erzurumspor	32	44
11. Keçiörengücü	32	39
12. Manisa FK	32	37
13. Ümraniye	32	37
14. Şanlıurfaspor	32	34
15. Tuzlaspor	32	34
16. Adanaspor	32	33
17. Altay	32	15
18. Giresunspor	32	7

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1. Arsenal	35	80
2. M.City	34	79
3. Liverpool	35	75
4. Aston Villa	35	67
5. Tottenham	34	60
6. M. United	34	54
7. Newcastle	34	53
8. Chelsea	34	51
9. West Ham United	35	49
10. Bournemouth	35	48
11. Wolves	35	46
12. Brighton	34	44
13. Fulham	35	43
14. Crystal Palace	35	40
15. Everton	35	36
16. Brentford	35	35
17. Nottingham Forest	35	26
18. Luton Town	35	25
19. Burnley	35	24
20. Sheffield United	35	16

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1. Real Madrid	33	84
2. Barcelona	33	73
3. Girona	33	71
4. Atletico Madrid	33	64
5. Athletic Bilbao	33	58
6. Real Sociedad	33	51
7. Real Betis	33	49
8. Valencia	33	47
9. Villarreal	33	45
10. Getafe	33	43
11. Osasuna	33	39
12. Deportivo Alaves	33	38
13. Sevilla	33	38
14. Las Palmas	33	37
15. Rayo Vallecano	33	34
16. Mallorca	33	32
17. Celta Vigo	33	31
18. Cadiz	33	26
19. Granada	33	21
20. Almeria	33	14