Description
The suburb of Kaimakli remains one of the districts of Nicosia with a village-like atmosphere to it. The neighborhood has a quiet, quaint feel. In the past few years, many collective initiatives have and continue to take place during spring and summer. In the form of festivals in the neighborhood square and other communal places, this is just how it still happens in many villages around the island.
This is a district which, for its most part used to be farmland and was renowned for its dairy products and particularly its yogurt. It’s not a coincidence that one of the oldest ice-cream factories is still here!
For this 10km Quaint and Quiet Kaimakli suburb tour, we will meet at Famagusta Gate. This medieval gate used to be the “exit” from the walled city that led towards the eastern coastal town of Famagusta. We will head out of the walls of the old town towards the Kaimakli suburb. This will show you a different view of the division line and the military posts that have been there for 46 years.
As we swerve and weave around Kaimakli’s narrow lanes and some dead-end streets, we eventually get on a cypress-tree lined street where a train (Cyprus’ first and only one!) to Famagusta used to pass. Now a linear park follows the path and offers views of the northern mountain range of Pentadaktylos and the plain of Mesaoria.
After the train line, we will continue exploring more of the neighborhood. We will run by the church square which is still the nucleus of the community with coffee shops, children playing, crafts workshops, and small art centers.
Kaimakli is also renowned for its long lineage of master craftsmen who worked and carved the local yellow sandstone. Many traditional houses, with unique elements of design, are found on every street, many recently restored. Many artists, musicians, and dancers have chosen to live or work here. The elementary school of Kaimakli is also a fine example of the beginning of 19th-century architecture and one of, what used to be, “boys only” schools!
Our 10km Nicosia Quaint and Quiet Kaimakli suburb tour will end by running just outside the moat of the medieval walls and by the Liberty monument which depicts the end of the colonial rule and the independence of the island.
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