19 Haunting Photos Of Cyprus's Frozen-In-Time Contested Zone

Neil Hall/REUTERS

On July 20, 1974, Turkish soldiers invaded the island of Cyprus. The invasion, which the Turks claimed was aimed at protecting Turkish Cypriots from persecution, ended up splitting the island almost exactly in half.

For the past 40 years Cyprus has remained divided between the southern Republic of Cyprus and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which has only been recognized by Turkey. The rest of the international community considers Northern Cyprus to be a Turkish-occupied territory, and the Turkish Army maintains a large force on the island.

The dividing line is the United Nations Buffer Zone, which cuts straight through the capital Nicosia and across the rest of the island.

Ranging from 11 feet at its narrowest to 4.6 miles at its widest, the zone was hastily evacuated during the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. It has remained uninhabited, effectively frozen in time.