Cyprus History - Cradle of Civilizations

Cyprus History - Cradle of Civilizations
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Ozlem_Canates]Ozlem Canates

The name of the island was noticed in the written history during the period of the Roman Empire, which conquered the island from the successors of Alexander the Great. It is also known that, far before them, the civilization of Egypt and their arch rivals, the Hittites also arrived in the island. Phoenicians, a seafaring tribe, also took control of the island for a certain period of time. After 395 AD, the year of the split of the Roman Empire, Cyprus remained under the Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire. The Byzantine Era had left numerous long-lasting traces in Cyprus.

Following the six-year rule of Isaac Comnenos, who seized control of the island upon the weakening of the Byzantine Rule, Cyprus fell under the influence of the Crusaders. Richard the Lion Heart, probably the best known of all the legendary kings who set foot on Cyprus, invaded Cyprus during a crusade to Jerusalem, with the aim of having a rest and tasting the wine of the island that was on everyone's tongue.

The island went through its brightest periods under the reign of the Lusignan dynasty after Templar Knights who bought the island from King Richard the Lion Heart. With the weakening of the Lusignans, Venetians seized the control of the island. Venetians used the island as a commercial base, leaving behind, at the same time, quite a good number of architecturally impressive works.

Ottoman armies and navy began to conquer the island in 1570 and because of the one-year resistance put up by Famagusta, accepted as one of the most important castle-cities of the period, the conquest was completed in one year.

As a reflection of the anti-colonialist movement that dominated the world after the Second World War, the Greek Cypriot independence movement was launched in 1955, which was opposed by Turkish Cypriots because of its intention of annexing Cyprus to Greece. In the aftermath of this, in 1959; Britain, Turkey and Greece signed the Zurich Agreement that provided for the establishment of a new state in Cyprus and thus the Republic of Cyprus was founded in 1960. this new republic lasted for three years only, owing to the Greek Cypriot attempts to master the state. In 1974, attempts to overthrow President Makarios and unite the island entirely with Greece by the nationalist forces who obtained support of the military junta in Greece was faced by the military intervention of Turkey.

Following the Turkish Army's Peace Operation in the northern part of Cyprus and setting up a control, Turks were assembled in the north and Greeks in the south and thus the island was physically divided into two. While the Greek Cypriots refused to establish a new state and claimed the Republic of Cyprus, Turkish Cypriots who gathered in the north established the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in 1983.

Republic of Cyprus that had been turned into a de facto Greek state in the south of Cyprus still maintains its UN and EU membership today and recognition on behalf of all Cyprus. However, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, constituted by the Turkish Cypriots, is recognized only by Turkey. Though the parties are still carrying out long-standing negotiations on the Cyprus conflict that has been going on almost half a century, they have not managed to achieve a compromise settlement. At these negotiations while the Greek Cypriot side argues for a return to pre-1974 conditions, the Turkish Cypriot side insists on the establishment of a new state on the basis of the state of affairs that has emerged after 1974.

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