Patriki Explained

Settlement Type:village
Patriki
Official Name:Πατρίκι (Greek) Tuzluca (Turkish)
Pushpin Map:Cyprus
Pushpin Label Position:bottom
Pushpin Mapsize:300
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Cyprus
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: Cyprus
Subdivision Type1: • District
Subdivision Name1:Famagusta District
Subdivision Type2:Country
Subdivision Type3: • District
Subdivision Name3:İskele District
Unit Pref:Imperial
Timezone:EET
Utc Offset:+2
Timezone Dst:EEST
Utc Offset Dst:+3
Coordinates:35.3631°N 33.9961°W

Patriki (Πατρίκι, Turkish: Tuzluca) is a village in the Famagusta District of Cyprus, located on the Karpas Peninsula. It is under the de facto control of Northern Cyprus.

History

The village has been under Turkish occupation since the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus. The village used to be inhabited by Greek Cypriots. In his book Historic Cyprus (second edition 1947) Rupert Gunnis (who was Inspector of Antiquities on the island at the time) wrote:

Pre-1974, the main church used by the Greek Orthodox villagers was Archangelos Michail, however it was desecrated by the Turkish Army post-1974 and has been used as a mosque since. The smaller church of Agios Georgios is in a deteriorating condition, having been desecrated and repurposed for storing fertilizer for agriculture. The village is also home to two chapels, Agios Prodromos and Panagia Trypimeni, both of which suffer from desecration and neglect as a result of the Turkish occupation.

In popular culture

Patriki is the home village of Kyriacos Panayiotou, the father of English singer George Michael.[1]

Notable people

Notes and References

  1. Jovanovich, Rob, George Michael - the Biography, Piatkus Books, 2008, page 13