Varosha: The Resort Town Evacuated in Three Days and Abandoned for 45 Years

In the city of Famagusta, on the eastern coast of Cyprus, there is a district called Varosha. In the 1970s it was one of the most fashionable resorts on the Mediterranean — Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton came here, so did Brigitte Bardot, and dozens of high-rise hotels lined the beachfront. The district was known as "the Cyprus Las Vegas."

Today, no one has lived in those hotels for more than half a century. Some still stand sealed off behind barbed wire, with trees growing through the balconies where film stars once sunbathed.

The Golden Years

By the early 1970s, Varosha was the showcase of Cyprus's tourism boom. Its beachfront was lined with front-row high-rises — by some estimates, the district received more tourists than the rest of Cyprus combined. Films were shot here, world-famous movie stars stayed here, and its casinos and nightclubs rivaled those of any European resort.

20 July 1974

On 20 July 1974, Turkey launched a military operation in Cyprus. Varosha's residents — around 15,000 people, almost all Greek Cypriots — fled in panic, believing they would return within days once the fighting died down. People left in a hurry, leaving their homes wide open and their shop windows still stocked with goods.

Three days later, Turkish forces occupied the city. Residents were never allowed to return. Since then, Varosha has been sealed off behind barbed wire and abandoned — and it remained empty for more than 45 years.

A City Frozen in Time

Hotels, shops, and apartments stood untouched for decades: 1974-era shop windows, cars still parked at the curb, rusting bicycles. Palm trees and other vegetation grew through balconies and asphalt, turning what was once a bustling resort into an overgrown ghost town. Salt, humidity, and half a century without a single repair have taken their toll — facades are collapsing, and nature has long since taken over the interiors.

Half a Century Behind Barbed Wire

For a long time it was impossible to get inside — the perimeter was guarded by the Turkish army, and the area itself remained the subject of one of the longest unresolved territorial disputes in Europe. The UN considers Varosha a territory to which its former residents should be allowed to return, and it has repeatedly passed resolutions calling for the district to be handed back to UN administration and for it not to be resettled by anyone other than its former inhabitants.

Partial Opening in 2020

In 2020, Turkish and Turkish Cypriot authorities partially opened part of Varosha's beachfront to tourists — visitors can now walk along the fenced-off zone and see the decaying high-rises almost exactly as they were left nearly half a century ago. The decision drew sharp criticism from Cyprus, Greece, and the UN, as it contradicted earlier Security Council resolutions. Most of the city remains closed off and guarded.

Interesting Facts

• Before 1974, Varosha generated a significant share of Cyprus's tourism revenue — the resort was known as "the Cyprus Las Vegas"
• The evacuation was so hurried that dishes still sit on tables in some apartments, and shop windows still display goods from 1974
• The UN has passed several resolutions (including Security Council Resolution 550 of 1984) banning the resettlement of Varosha by anyone other than its former residents
• The section open to visitors is only a narrow strip along the coast; most of the city remains a closed military zone
• Some buildings have decayed so badly that entry is officially forbidden for safety reasons