Pissouri Villas & Cyprus Holidays Information

Venice
In 1470, Venice began to attack the island, forcing the Queen of Cyprus, Catherine Cornaro, to hand the Island to Venice, which occupied it on March 14, 1489.

Ottoman Empire
The Turks first occupied the island in 1570 with Lala Mustafa Pasha becoming the first Turkish Governor of Cyprus, challenging the claims of Venice to Cyprus. Simultaneously, the Pope formed a coalition between the Papal States, Malta, Spain, Venice, and several other Italian states, with no real result. In 1573 the Venetians left, taking with them the influence of the Roman Catholic Church.

The Ottoman Empire gave land grantsto soldiers under the condition that they and their families would stay there permanently. The Ottomans also applied the millet system to Cyprus, which allowed religious authorities to govern their own non-Muslim minorities. This system reinforced the position of the Orthodox Church and the cohesion of the ethnic Greek population.

During the 17th century there was rapid growth of the Turkish population. Most of the Turks who had settled on the island during the 3 centuries of Ottoman rule remained when control of Cyprusalthough not sovereigntywas ceded to Great Britain in 1878. Many, however, left for Turkey during the 1920s. By 1970, ethnic Turks represented about 20% of the total population of the island, with ethnic Greeks representing the remainder.
Many Cypriots supported the Greek independence effort that began in 1821, leading to severe reprisals by the Ottoman Empire. Greece became independent in 1829; many Cypriots sought the incorporation of Cyprus into Greece, but it remained part of the Ottoman Empire.

A few photographs of the island

Top photo: The Akamas Peninsula, wildlife reserve
Bottom photo: Coastline along the Akamas