Allan and Muna: Cyprus - the Devil's Island no longer

There is a lot you can do in five days, especially when you have such lovely friends who organise a wonderful programme and take you all over the island of Cyprus, which used to be called the Devil's Island --- one of two Ottoman penal colonies, Akka being the other. After arriving at Larnaca airport, we started our trip in Nicosia, in the north of the island. We stayed mostly in Limassol, with Ramin and Lesley Habibi,

who have lived in Cyprus for many years, and are originally from the United Kingdom. They had just moved into their new home with a lovely view over the bay.

Dear friends Ezzat and Mahzad looked after us during one of our visits to north Nicosia.

Nicosia is the last divided capital city in the world - with a Turkish Cypriots north and Greek Cypriot south, separated by a thin UN buffer zone.

There are several points for crossing between the north and south, all patrolled by UN forces at a huge cost. Crossing is easy, you simply show your passport and get a stamped piece of paper. There is one crossing in the capital city itself.

There are nice buildings in the city centre.

There is a Baha'i Centre both in the northern and the southern parts of the capital; we visited the one in the north for morning prayers, and later in our visit Muna and I facilitated some deepening sessions. The word "Merkaz" and its equivalent is used in a number of languages meaning "centre".

Suha, the sister of a good friend of mine from Turkey, attended the sessions,

as did some long standing believers.

Their was a lot of joy in these gatherings,

and it was so nice to see a photo of Hands of the Cause Amatu'l-Baha and Dr. Varqa which was taken during their visit to the centre.

For both these events, wonderful food magically appeared.

Miria, a friend of our buddy Christine Krug from Haifa, lives in Cyprus and she attended the evening function.

We enjoyed getting to know this lovely couple, Suha and Akbar Fanaeian.

The Ghadirians from Canada, visit Cyprus regularly to assist the community; they visit China regularly as well.

Muna brought oranges from the Garden of Ridvan, which were greatly appreciated - goodness knows what the customs officials thought about a big bag of oranges going through the x-ray machine!

After a devotional prayer meeting in Nicosia North, we had a chance to really get to know the friends.

What is this shiny patch on the back of Allan's head? Must be an optical illusion!

This is a much better angle! At least there is some hair at the front.

In Nicosia there is a caravansari that is similar to the one in Akka - I love the use of arches.

On the top floor is the studio of Salih Bayraktaran, a local artist,

He showed us his work and we were delighted to meet him.

and in the centre there is a Muslim prayer room used in former times.

All around there are shops with assorted craft and art works.

Muna loved the crochet and art shops.

On the lower floor is a restaurant where we had a lovely lunch with Ramin. These workers were making pastries, rolling the dough so thinly before filling it with sweet and savoury yummies.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Nice shot Ramin.

Muna still beats me in arm wrestling!

The mosque in the centre of the city of north Nicosia is impressive. Originally a cathedral, it was later converted to a mosque in Ottoman times.

During prayer time it is not possible to enter.

Cyprus is a real holiday resort and there is construction every where - lots of Scandinavians and others living in cold climates have a holiday house in Cyprus that is vacant most of the year. In Limassol, there is a promenade along the waterfront and hotels abound here.

The remnants of an old pier can be seen near the breakwater.

Now supertankers and supermodels frequent the new pier.

There is an old fort that is now turned into a museum.

The stone work is very reminiscent of Akka.

This stone wheel would have been used for grinding grain a hundred years ago, probably even more recently.

and this press used to produce olive oil -

the oil is separated from the pits and pith - clever Ottomans!

Artisans decorated public buildings with ornate work.

One afternoon Muna led a discussion with friends, and a young man from Africa who is studying at a local university was a welcome addition.

We saw some interesting signs while traveling around the island. I thought that all snails were organic - not sure if these are destined for the restaurant table or will be used to keep the weeds down in someone's garden.

As you approach northern Cyprus, you can see the Turkish-Cypriot flag painted on the hillside - it is a clear message to those on the other side of the border.

We looked and looked but never once saw a pelican of any size or shape trying to cross the road.

I guess there are pet shops everywhere,

but why you would buy a pet that comes from Alaska is beyond me.

I thought that symbols such as sigma, gamma, beta and delta were only used for complex algebra, but it seems that TVs need to use them as well.

Muna loves figs, and loves fig trees, even if they are barren of ripe fruit.

A couple in Larnaca provide a welcome home for young people - such a wonderful act of community building.

Muna gave a talk there, but after a long day, it was a little too much for Allan who checked the inside of his eyelids.

Another lovely evening was spent with Helma and Wout Bos, friends from Holland who have also lived in the Caribbean. They have a lovely house overlooking a beautiful beach on the Med.

The bougainvillea grows wild on their balcony, as it loves the climate.

and we had a lovely breakfast on their balcony before heading off with them to the Turkish side and to Famagusta, an Ottoman prison city on the East coast of the Island.

A huge roundabout welcomes you upon arrival at the old city; our dear friend,

Anita Graves, local historian and archivist, was our guide. The entrance to the city is a bridge over a moat.

Our first stop was the home of an early Cypriot believer, Errol Olkar. Anita and Muna are seen here as they listen to his very interesting reminiscences.

Errol's home abuts the city wall and has a lovely garden.

He has a great knowledge of history and religion, having extensively studied both the Qur'an and the Bible as a youth, and it was a pleasure and a privilege to meet him and be a guest in his house.

Muna loves old doors, especially large wooden ones, and there are several to see.

Here is the outside view of an impressive cathedral that was later converted to a mosque in Ottoman times, as well as a couple of internal shots.

The sea gate to the old city is undergoing renovations.

From the top of the walled city you can see the restored cathedral used as a mosque.

and next to it a former cathedral that was not restored for use as a mosque.

Outside of Larnaca is a shrine for the wet nurse of prophet Muhammad, who legend records had, in her old age, travelled to Cyprus and passed away upon disembarking from the ship, and was buried there. A really lovely spot near a lake.