Hubbry Logo
search
logo
Morphou
Morphou
current hub
2276780

Morphou

logo
Community Hub0 Subscribers
Write something...
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
See all
Morphou

Morphou (Greek: Μόρφου; Turkish: Güzelyurt) is a town in the northwestern part of Cyprus, under the de facto control of Northern Cyprus. Having been a predominantly Greek Cypriot community before the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus, the town is now inhabited by Turkish Cypriots.

With a population of 18,000 people, the town is famous for its oranges, apples, vegetables, grapefruit and melons. A large proportion of the citrus fruits are exported and the remainder are turned into fruit juice and canned for local consumption and export. Morphou is also famous for its annual Orange Festival, which is a major event lasting two weeks.

Morphou was founded by Spartans who brought with them the worship of Aphrodite. In the Middle Ages, the city was referred to as Morphou but also Theomorphou. In the 14th and 15th centuries, Morphou hosted royal casalia, where the profitable cultivation of sugar took place with the encouragement of the kings of Cyprus. The Morphou area grew more than half of Cyprus citrus fruits. In 16th and 17th centuries, during Ottoman period, Morphou was famous for its export of linen.

Between 1907 and 1948, Morphou was one of the prominent stations of the Cyprus Government Railway.[citation needed]

In the wake of the intercommunal violence called "Bloody Christmas", the majority of the Turkish Cypriot population fled the town in January 1964, though one-third remained. As a result of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974, all of the Greek Cypriots of Morphou fled to the south of the island, and Morphou was inhabited by displaced Turkish Cypriots from the south. These people hailed from various villages in the Paphos district and the town of Paphos, though there were some who came from Limassol and the villages around it. This turned Morphou into a refugee town.

The agriculture in Morphou is expected to be boosted via the increase in irrigated farming by the help of the water pipe-line from Turkey.

Before 1974, Morphou was an almost entirely Greek Cypriot community. According to the 1960 population census it was inhabited by 6480 Greek Cypriots, 123 Turkish Cypriots and 32 Maronites.

The population of Morphou increased slightly from 2006 to 2011. In 2019, State Planning Organization of Northern Cyprus recorded a population of 24,070 for Morphou.

See all
User Avatar
No comments yet.