Historical
Origins of the Turkish-Cypriot People
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Conquest
of the Limassol Castle by the Ottomans |
The
Ottoman Empire under the leadership of Sultan Selim I (1512-20)
conquered the Mameluk Empire centered in Egypt in early 1571. At
this time, although Cyprus was occupied and governed by Venetian
lords, they paid an annual tribute to the Mameluk Sultan in
recognition of his suzerainty. Following the Ottoman victory in
Egypt, the Venetians paid their annual tribute directly to the
Sultan in Istanbul. However, Sultan Süleyman I (1520-66),
threatened by Venetian fortifications of Cyprus and the piracy
in the seas surrounding Cyprus and the eastern Mediterranean,
began military preparations towards removing the Venetian lords
from Cyprus. Nevertheless, these efforts never materialized into
a full-scale operation before Süleyman I's death.
However, taking
over the leadership of the Ottoman Empire from his father,
Sultan Selim II repeatedly complained to the Venetians and
demanded an end to the piracy in the seas surrounding Cyprus.
The Venetians refused to do this and ignored the demand of
Sultan to have full control of the island.
These relations
were exacerbated by the Venetian seizure of Turkish ships,
execution of Turkish corsairs in violation of an
Ottoman-Venetian Treaty, and the continuing presence of Maltese
pirates in Venetian ports harassing Muslim pilgrims and
interfering in general commerce. Therefore, the Sultan Selim II
decided to intervene and put an end to this state of affairs, as
well as to consolidate the Ottoman control of the East in
general. The Venetians refused to yield to the demands of the
Sultan, and the Ottoman-Venetian war began early in 1570.
Nicosia fell on 9 September 1570, followed by Famagusta on 1
August 1571. In spite of a naval reversal at Lepanto on the
Adriatic coast on 7 October 1571, Selim's efforts were
successful and the Venetians had to sue for peace.
The peace
treaty was concluded in March 1573 with Venice agreeing both to
pay a heavy war indemnity sufficient to defray all Sultan's
expenses incurred in the conflict, and also to renounce all
Venetian claims to Cyprus. It must be remembered that the
Venetians were foreign feudal landlords in Cyprus, and the first
step of the Turkish governors was to abolish the feudal system.
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Following
the defeat of the Venetians in 1571, Lala Mustafa Pasha, the
Turkish Commander of the land forces in Cyprus, chose, before
departing for Istanbul, 12,000 foot soldiers to remain on the
island for the formation of the defensive garrison of Famagusta,
Nicosia and Kyrenia. In addition, he distributed 4,000 cavalry
men among the localities of Les Salines (Larnaca), Limassol, Paphos,
Kyrenia, and elsewhere. The military forces were complemented by
an additional 20,000 decommissioned soldiers and 2,000 cavalry
remaining as colonists. These people as a whole formed the
original nucleus of the fledgling Turkish-Cypriot community
whose members were of Turkish origin, and by the firman (decree)
of Sultan Selim II they were given fiefs for the provision of
their homes, and sustenance. Steps were also taken to assist all
soldiers with dependents on the mainland to bring their wives
and children to Cyprus. |
Nevertheless,
in the opinion of Sinan Pasha, the Beylerbeyi (Governor-General)
who replaced Lala Mustafa Pasha, the island was still heavily in
need not only of more residents in general but also of skilled
craftsmen. Consequently, after he informed Sultan Selim II of the
island's condition, a firman (decree) was issued to the Kadis
(chief judges) of Karaman, Íchel, Bozok (Yozgat), Alaiyye (Alanya),
Teke (Antalya), and Aydin calling for a population transfer.
throughout their history, this practice was commonly employed by
the Ottoman Turks in rebuilding and populating the conquered
territories. This was an essential part of their political
theory.
In this
instance Sultan Selim II recommended the transfer of one in
every ten families from the areas mentioned above. It was
further stipulated that their properties should be sold for
their actual market value and that all monies thereby accruing
should be given to them for their use in Cyprus. Furthermore, in
order to provide additional assistance, they were to be exempt
from all taxation for the initial three years of their residence
in Cyprus.
In
order to assure the effective development of the island, those
individuals sent to Cyprus were, as part of the relocation
programme, screened as to their moral integrity, two witnesses
being required to testify to their character. In addition,
efforts were made to obtain craftsmen representing a wide range
of skills known to be of short supply on the island. Special
attention was given primarily to relocating farmers. These were
supplemented by some shoemakers, bootmakers, tailors, weavers,
makers of linen skull-caps, quilt makers, spinners, cooks,
candle-makers, farriers, tanners, masons, jewellers,
coppersmiths, and miners. Also efforts were made to transfer
families with many young daughters so as to provide spouses for
unwed ex-military personnel. Ultimately, these families
relocated to the island from the Black Sea regions of Trabzon,
Giresun, Samsun, and Sinop.
A total of
5,720 households were transferred in this early period and
re-settled in approximately one hundred empty villages in the
Mesaoria, Mazoto, and Paphos regions of Cyprus. Early arrivals
consisted of families primarily from Karaman, Yozgat, Alanya,
and Antalya. Others quickly following came primarily from Beyşehir,
Aksaray, Seydişehir, Develihisar, Niğde, and Endugi.
The transfer to Cyprus of population from several Anatolian
provinces continued immediately ensuing years with families from
Konya, Kırşehir, Aydin, Çorum, Kayseri, Samsun, Eskişehir,
Ankara, Burdur, and Uşak.
The use of
resettlement as a general method for development of the Turkish
population of Cyprus continued intermittently until the middle
of the eighteen century. Later transfers included the Akkeçili
tribe from Uşak; farmers from the Manavgat, Selendi,
Mamuriye, and Karataş regions; and craftsmen and tradesmen
numbering two hundred from Aleppo. At the time of the British
arrival in Cyprus in 1878 under the Cyprus Defence Alliance
between Great Britain and the Ottoman Empire, approximately
95,000 Turkish-Cypriots were residing on the island.
References:
From: The
North Cyprus Almanack, (1985), K. Rüstem & Bro.
Publishers, London.
Related
links
The
Firman (decree) of Sultan Selim II
Kıbrıs Türkçesi - Cypriot Turkish language
Evkaf
- Cyprus Muslim Pious Foundation (est. 1571)
Popular
Customs
Turkish-Cypriot
Handicrafts
Turkish-Cypriot
Cuisine - A Taste of Mediterranean
Turkish-Cypriot
Women
Alternative
lifestyles
Language
Kıbrıs Türkçesi - Cypriot Turkish language
Turkish-Cypriot Idioms (Deyimler)
Education System
in North Cyprus
