Varosha is perhaps one of the most famous abandoned towns of the latter 20th century. It is a favourite of many websites profiling abandoned towns, and the BBC, ITV and The Independent have all published articles on this ghost town, which is now out of bounds and beyond repair.
Before I show the cards, I'd like to point out that the Turkish Invasion of Cyprus was no trivial matter. There were roughly 6000 deaths, military and civilian; a further 1400 are still considered missing as of 2015 and tens of thousands of people were displaced.
The reason Varosha seems to have caught the imagine is because prior to the bloodshed which led to it being abandoned it was a popular holiday destination and amongst its many visitors were glamourous Hollywood stars. Elizabeth Taylor was said to have been particularly fond of the Argo Hotel on JFK Avenue.
It is because of its popularity as a resort that postcards of the town in its heyday are not hard to find.
The above is a typical 1970s tourist card, published by the famous John Hinde. It depicts Varosha beach in the bottom right hand corner and the blurb on the back describes the place as the ideal place for holiday makers and one of the main seaside resorts of Cyprus. It was written and posted in July 1972 and the senders of the card state they are having an excellent holiday.
The second card is a single view of the beach. It is postally unused and not dated but seems to be from about the same era as the previous card.
Both cards are an good example of how events can dramatically change things many of us take for granted. They are a historic records of a different world and demonstrate the essence of this blog perfectly.
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