Until December 1963, within the walled Nicosia there was the Armenian district, which could be defined as

follows: to the north of Paphos Gate, to the east of the moat, to the south of the fountain of Zahra street and
to the west of the virtual line that formed the extension of Athanasios Diakos street towards Mula bastion.
Although the majority of the residents were Armenian-Cypriots, the Armenian Quarter was far from
ctmonochromett, as many Turkish-Cypriots, as well as some Greek-Cypriots, Maronite-Cypriots, Latin-Cypri-
ots and British used to live there. In fact, until the first years of the British Era, the area was also known as
the Latin Quarter; later on it was split between the Karaman Zade and Arab Ahmed quarters.
WRITTEN BY ALEXANDER-MICHAEL HADJILYRA
LIFE IN THE ARMENIAN OUARTER
tiful, whereas each celebrating house would members; the AGBU, which acquired a house in
offer dishes to the neighbours too. The ladies 1957, was in favour of Soviet Armenia; the
say that most Armenian foods are similar to short-lived, yet active, <<Friendsof Armenia As-
the Cypriot ones, their mode of preparation sociation>) [Paregamats, 1944-19481; but mainly
being the main differentiation. AYMA, established in 1934 and ever since the
centre of Armenian-Cypriot social life, organis-
The small forest ing a multitude of social, athleticand entertain-
M r s Elsie, whose house was located on Tanzi- ing events. M r s Annig reminds us that ccHamaz-
m a t street, facing the moat, makes particular kayin,, [established in 19491, active today within
reference to t h e s m a l l forest on Roccas bastion, the grounds of AYMA, was between 1938 and
the so-called <<andan>,f r o m the Armenian word 1949 a separate women's association called
for forest. M r s Rosemary remembers that <<we <<ArmenianWomen of Cilicia Association>). M r s
used to go there after school and on the week- Sirvart adds the <<ArmenianPoor Body),, which
ends to rest),, while the rest of the ladies miss was established around 1935.
the s m a l l picnics they used to have there with
school. Colourful people
A l l of them remember that, when walking the The dear Armenian-Cypriot solicitor John Ma-
neighbourhoods, <<youcould hear Armenian al- tossian, living in London since 1973, has writ-
most everywhere,,, which is not the case today, ten the wonderful book <<My Father's House,
as Armenian-Cypriots are scattered across Ni- a n Armenian Boyhood in Nicosia,) [2005], in
cosia. I too remember, f r o m conversations I had which the Armenian-Cypriot microcosm of Ni-
in the past with the dear friend and ex-Head- cosia is recorded. Below, w e quote a few
master of Nareg Armenian Schools, M r Artin words he wrote to us himself, on the occasion
Aivazian, that even the Greek-Cypriot grocer of of this reportage:
Victoria street, M r Costas, had Learnt Armenian. <<Ourswas a s m a l l community composed of the
old LocalArmenians and the Genocide refugees.
Armenian-Cypriot associations Our quarter became Armenian around 1567,
Several Armenian-Cypriot associations oper- when the Venetians rounded u p the Nicosia
ated in tt -ea: the <<ArmenianClub), [estab- walls and almost 400 years afterwards, in 1963,
lished in 21 had mainly local Armenians as the descendants of the Ottomans drove us out.
 ie~oregoing 1 01, we usea rc
a church, where we lit a candle bero
e miraculous icon of Saint George, tc
Greek-Cypriots also brought oblat
The diversity was bewildering: scholars, den-
tists, labourers, mirror-makers, lawyers, hat-
ters, merchants, taxi drivers, musicians, chefs,
photographers etc. Looking back, I r e m e m her Top, the Sinanian family house (great-grandparents of Mrs Elsie
how colourful they were and I wonder how far Utidjianl as it is today. Below, the wedding of Marie lskenderian with
Jirayr der Avedissian. October 1950.
the old traumas of the Genocide contributed t o
their gaiety ...
Armenian-Cypriot life revolved around the
church of the Virgin Mary on Victoria street,
built in 1308 as a Benedictine abbey, which is
why enchanting Crusader tombstones were
found there.
In m y memories stand out the street vendors'
shouts, the housewives' chatter f r o m open
doorways and the tired cars finding it hard to
qo throuqh the narrow alleys. Victoria street
itself sta;ted f r o m the ati in church, later on while other farnilies stayed for a longer period
w e found the Armenian-Orthodox church, of time at the grounds of the Melkonian Educa-
while at the end was the Arab Ahmed mosque; tional Institute. <<Wethescoutsset up temporary
the Armenian Evangelical church was found on tentsforthem,,, rememberswell-known painter
its extension. At times, the voice of the priest, and architect John Guevherian, at the time a
the pastor and the muezzin would overlap. student at the Melkonian.
The Armenian Quarter was cramped with After the partial lifting of restrictions in move-
houses with Ottoman kiosks and their charac- ment by the occupying regime, in April 2003,
teristic shutters, with few pavements and even M r s Sirvart and M r s Rosernary visited their
fewer trees, while on the lamp-posts I remem- house almost immediately. M r s Anahid visited
ber the plastered funeral announcements. Our it when she went with the Prelate to see the
houses had secret gardens [inner yard]. My church. MrsAnnig hasn'tgoneyet, but shewould
road, Tanzimat street, was a mixed one [Arme- like to see her house and the family shop. M r s
nian-Cypriots and Turkish-Cypriots] with Elsie states: <cl don't want to go there and see
houses made of sandstone, on which otherthan m y home neglected, untended and a wreck,,.
the respectable farnilies lived some rouged In October 2010 she was deeply moved when I
ladies of the night ...>> gave her two photographs of her house, an old
and a new one, and she commended on the
Uprooting of 231 families bad condition of the front door.
Thiswasthesort of lifeatthe Armenian Quarter, Most Armenian-Cypriots express their regret
this beautiful neighbourhood of old Nicosia. <<It for what happened during the 1963-1964 pe-
was very different f r o m our present life,,, says riod. They would like to see the church of the
M r s Rosernary. This carelessness was inter- Virgin Mary operate again [as of October 2009
rupted for ever, when during the 1963-1964 it is being restored by UNDP], they state that
Turkish-Cypriot mutiny, 231 Armenian-Cypriot <<we miss our neighbours,,, but at the same
families became victims to the Turks. Some time they acknowledge, with sorrow and with
families fled f o r 2-3 days t o the grounds of the a heavy heart, that those times are irrevocably
Melikian-Ouzounian schooland thevirgin Mary gone ...
church, until these places were also captured,