Karamanzade

Karamanzade
Karamanzade, Καραμανζαντέ
Holy Cross Church
Holy Cross Church
Karamanzade is located in Cyprus
Karamanzade
Karamanzade
Location in Cyprus
Coordinates: 35°10′31.6″N 33°21′30.8″E / 35.175444°N 33.358556°E / 35.175444; 33.358556
Country Cyprus
DistrictNicosia District
MunicipalityNicosia
Population
 (2011)
 • Total
351
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)

Karamanzade (Armenian: Քարամանզադե; Greek: Καραμανζαντέ; Turkish: Karamanzade) is a quarter (mahalle) of Nicosia, Cyprus. It is named after Karamanzade, one of the generals in the Ottoman conquest of Cyprus in 1570. He was known as Karaman-zade meaning the son of an inhabitant of Karamania.

Location

Karamanzade is in western Nicosia within the walls, next to Paphos Gate, straddling the Green Line.

It is bordered on the north by the Arab Ahmet quarter, to the east by Iplik Bazar–Korkut Effendi, and to the south by Nebethane and Ayios Andreas.

Population

Population according to the yearly censuses in which where the quarter was reported separately.

DateHousesTurkish CypriotGreek CypriotOther ◊Total
157218
161223
167214
183142114156
188147234
18918380334414
19016753339392
19116835298333
19217938495533
1931*9465708773
194618861124412597
2006429429
2011351351

◊ Principally Armenian and non-Muslims

* The 1831 Ottoman census only included males

Armenian Church

History

Karamanzade is one of the 24 historic quarters within the walls of Nicosia. During the Ottoman period it was counted as an Armenian quarter.

Leontios Machairas (1369–1458) and Georgios Boustronios (1430–1501) record that the Armenian Quarter of Nicosia was located near the gate of St. Dominic (now Paphos Gate) in the 15th century, during the Lusignan Kingdom of Cyprus. After the Ottoman conquest of Nicosia in 1570, an Ottoman decree issued on 15 May 1571, gave what is now the Armenian church to the Armenian community. During Ottoman rule, starting with the 1572 census, there was a quarter recorded as "Ermeniyan Mahalle" (in Turkish), i.e. Armenian Quarter, alongside Karamanzade and the 1831 census it is recorded that one was 100% Armenian and the other 100% Muslim. Nicosia was divided into Mahalles or quarters, each of which was concentrated around the population's place of worship. The Armenians had their own quarter, which was in the western-most part of the city, adjacent to Paphos Gate. Armenians and Turks lived together in Karamanzade - the area next to Paphos gate, each belonging to their own administrative quarter, but inhabiting the same part of the city. This geographical area was in 1831 around 70% Armenian. This is also reflected in the later British census figures for Karamanzade.

After the Cyprus crisis of 1963–1964 the Armenian community (most of the population) was expelled from the area.

Dükkanlar Önü Mosque

Landmarks

Armenian Church

The Armenian Church dates from the 14th century. Originally part of a Benedictine monastery, then a salt store, it was allocated to the Armenians after the Ottoman conquest. Conservation work on the church began in 2007 as part of the Nicosia Master Plan.

Dukkanlar Onou Mosque

The Dükkanlar Önü Mosque was the mosque of the Karamanzade quarter. Originally a Venetian secular building, after the Ottoman conquest of Cyprus, the building was converted to a mosque. The building was renovated by Said Mehmed Agha in 18th century. It had an outsized minaret, which was demolished in 1952 as it was in a dangerous condition. From 2011, the Evkaf Administration of Cyprus, began restoration of the mosque and a new shorter minaret has been built.

Church of the Holy Cross

The original Roman Catholic Church of the Holy Cross was built in 1642 but was replaced in April 1900, partly funded by the Spanish royal family and opened again in 1902. The western side of the chapel of 1642 remains, but the east end was removed to enable the construction of the larger building in 1900.

The Church of the Holy Cross was not abandoned during the Cyprus crisis of 1963–1964 and the Turkish invasion of 1974. However part of the access was blocked towards Victoria Street.

Paphos Gate opening and Holy Cross (1958)

Paphos Gate opening

The original Paphos Gate was closed by the British when they made the new opening at the side through the ramparts in 1879. This forms the entrance to the quarter from outside the walled city. The north side of the street is in Karamanzade and the south side in Ayios Andreas.

References

  1. 1 2 6th edition of the publication "Statistical Codes of Municipalities, Communities and Quarters of Cyprus" (publ. Statistical Service of Republic of Cyprus, 2010)
  2. 1 2 Coexistence in the Disappeared Mixed Neighbourhoods of Nicosia by Ahmet An (Paper read at the conference: Nicosia: The Last Divided Capital in Europe, organized by the London Metropolitan University on 20 June 2011)
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "A Description of the Historic Monuments of Cyprus" by George Jeffery, Architect. Publ. Government Printing Office, Nicosia, 1918; pp.33, 48 & 50–55
  4. ↑ Nicosia showing the area within the walls on www.openstreetmap.org retrieved May 2025
  5. ↑ "Quarters of Nicosia" Prepared and published by the Dept. of Lands and Surveys, Cyprus, 1985, Revised 1997. Series DLS30. Scale 1:7500
  6. 1 2 Η Πρώτη Οθωμανική Απογραφή της Κύπρου 1572 (The First Ottoman Census of Cyprus 1572), by Ioannis P. Theocharides, publ. Nicosia 2021 ISBN 978-9925-581-29-0 ; p. 21
  7. 1 2 Οι Απογραφές του Κεφαλικόυ Φόρου της Κύπρου των ετών 1612/1613 κai 1672/1673 (The Censuses of the Poll Tax of Cyprus of 1612/1613 and 1672/1673), by Ioannis P. Theocharides, publ. Nicosia 2024, ISBN 978-9925-620-46-3; pp. 7, 191–195
  8. 1 2 Osmanlı idaresinde Kıbrıs: Nüfusu-arazi dağılımı ve Türk vakıfları(Cyprus under Ottoman rule: Population - land distribution and Turkish foundations), ed. Haci Osman Yildirim, and Vahdettin Atik, published. by Rep.Turkey Ottoman Archives Department, Ankara, Publication No. 43. Date 2000. ISBN 975-19-2592-4
  9. ↑ Census of Cyprus, printed by Eyre and Spottiswoode, London, 1884
  10. ↑ Census of Cyprus 1891, printed by Eyre & Spottiswoode, London, 1893
  11. ↑ Census of Cyprus 1901, publ. Government printing office, Nicosia, Cyprus, 1901
  12. ↑ Report and General Abstracts of the Census of Cyprus 1911, publ. Waterlow and Sons Ltd, London, 1912
  13. ↑ Report and General Abstracts of the Census of Cyprus 1921, publ. Waterlow and Sons Ltd, London, 1922.
  14. ↑ Report of the Census of Cyprus 1931, publ. Government printing office, Nicosia, Cyprus, 1932
  15. ↑ Census of Cyprus, published by Government Printing Office, Nicosia, 1949
  16. ↑ "The Population of Cyprus from 1881 to 1946", by D A. Percival, 1947; Census Office, Nicosia, 1947. - quoted in "A History of Cyprus", Vol. 4, by George Hill, 1952, ISBN 0521052629; p. xxi and "Social and Spatial Dimensions of Ethnic Conflict", by J. F. Oswald (dissertation for University of Texas), 2013 - repositories.lib.utexas.edu/bitstreams/2a1cde91-f78e-4d99-8a6a-e7296e9bf6a1/download (retrieved June 2025); p.578
  17. ↑ Turkish Cypriot census"Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 November 2013. Retrieved 16 September 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) retrieved October 2013
  18. ↑ Article entitled "Εκκλησία Παρθένου Μαρίας" in the "Great Cypriot Encyclopedia". Greek article on the (Armenian) Church of the Virgin Mary - www.polignosi.com - retrieved July 2025
  19. 1 2 "The Armenian Church and Monastery Restoration Project", by Paolo Vitti, 2014 - www.undp.org/sites/g/files/zskgke326/files/migration/cy/ACM-Book-PRINT-FINAL.pdf retrieved June 2025 -pp.5,11
  20. ↑ "Historic Nicosia",Demetrios Michaelides (Ed.), publ. Rimal Publications, Nicosia 2012; ISBN 978-9963-610-44-0; pp. 238, 299, 300
  21. ↑ "Life in the Armenian Quarter". May 2011. Archived from the original on 11 September 2011. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  22. ↑ Department of Lands and Surveys Sheet 21 - Plan 46.2.15 - available in print and from: plans.dls.moi.gov.cy/Cadastral_Plans/lefkosia/500/21460215.pdf (retrieved June 2025).
  23. ↑ Gürkan, Haşmet Muzaffer (2006). Dünkü ve Bugünkü Lefkoşa (in Turkish) (3rd ed.). Galeri Kültür. pp. 114–5. ISBN 9963660037.
  24. ↑ "Kuzey Kıbrıs'ın yarısı vakıf malı" (in Turkish). Sabah. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
  25. ↑ "History of the church". Holy Cross Catholic Church Nicosia. Archived from the original on 29 December 2019. Retrieved 2 June 2016.