Fri Jun 15, 2007

FAMAGUSTA, Cyprus, June 15 (Reuters Life!) - An ancient Cypriot port city which inspired Shakespearean tragedy and was famed in medieval times for its architecture and wealth is on the brink of ruin because of neglect, conservationists warn.

	An abandoned hotel in the town of Famagusta, Cyprus in an April 23, 2003 file photo. An ancient Cypriot port city which inspired Shakespearean tragedy and was famed in medieval times for its architecture and wealth is on the brink of ruin because of neglect, conservationists warn. REUTERS/Andreas Manolis

In its Venetian heyday Famagusta was one of the richest cities in the region, and a seat for the crowning of Lusignan Kings of Jerusalem. Fictionally, it marks the spot where Shakespeare's Othello, blinded by jealousy, smothered his beloved Desdemona, then took his own life.

Thick fortifications encasing the city protect a community of some 300 churches, and a stunning 14th century gothic cathedral which some art historians compare to Notre Dame of Rheims, but in miniature.

In a biannual review of world heritage sites, the privately run World Monuments Foundation (WMF) has listed the city as one of 100 world sites most at risk from conflict, alongside such world landmarks as the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem, and what has been left of the Buddha statues at Bamiyan in Afghanistan.

Those campaigning for the protection of the city hope the status will galvanize much-needed conservation.

"It will act as a conduit through which specialized scholarship and expertise can be channeled in an attempt to protect, preserve and plan for the future of the historic town," said professor Michael Walsh, one of two academics instrumental in drawing WMF's attention to the walled city.

NEITHER HERE NOR THERE
But - borrowing a line from Othello - north Cyprus is neither here nor there.

Shunned by the international community, this small enclave with no direct links with the outside world is unrecognized by all but Turkey, which props up the Turkish Cypriot community economically.

Every part of Cyprus bears testament to the cultures which have touched it over the centuries, from the Greeks to the Romans, and in more modern times, the Venetians, the Ottomans and the British.

Modern Cyprus's priceless monuments have been caught in the crossfire of bitter ethnic division between Greek and Turkish Cypriots, separated in a Turkish invasion in 1974 triggered by a brief Greek Cypriot coup.

The internationally recognized government does not have access to the north, and generally frowns on any intervention in antiquities which is not officially sanctioned by them.

Underscoring sensitivities, the head of the government's antiquities department was quoted as saying Famagusta's appearance in the WMF list was "adverse".

"The antiquities department and the foreign ministry are working together to find the best solution," department director Pavlos Flourentzos told the Cyprus Weekly newspaper.

The gothic citadel once known as St. Nicholas Cathedral and now as Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque bears testament to the neglect.

"No serious work has been done there since the British times. Stones are falling from it and damp is rising up from the sea damaging it from below," Turkish Cypriot archaeologist Muge Sevketoglu told Reuters. "The citadel is like an aged person who is in need of constant care."

Archaeologists say the political situation prevents proper conservation work on artifacts.

Under the Hague Convention, archaeologists working in northern Cyprus are breaking the law, as they are working without the consent of the internationally recognized Cyprus government.

"That has traditionally meant the archaeologists who work here will no longer be able to work in Greece or south Cyprus," said Sevketoglu, referring to the territory under Greek Cypriot control. "Most have been put off by the threats."

Which does not solve the problem of Famagusta.

"Many of the buildings are in danger and need architects to come and work and make them structurally sound," said Allan Langdale, who worked alongside Walsh in filing the application to the WMF.

But whether it will manifest itself in better preservation remains unclear.

"It is one thing for the WMF to recognize the need for protection and restoration. Its another for it to defy the embargo and provide funds," Langdale said.

Please direct media inquiries to:
GHF Press press@globalheritagefund.org or (650) 325 7520