A ghost town in Cyprus that was abandoned in the 1970s may soon open to the public again — take a look inside

Erin McDowellSep 3, 2020, 02:41 IST

An abandoned hotel is seen in the Varosha quarter of Famagusta, Cyprus.Awakening/Getty Images

After Turkey took control of the northern portion of the island of Cyprus in the 1970s, inhabitants of the resort town of Varosha fled, leaving it empty.
Residents and tourists planned to return, but the once-glamorous resort was quickly fenced off to the public and has remained so for more than 40 years.
Once deemed the "French Riviera of Cyprus," the resort locale of Varosha in the city of Famagusta is abandoned and decaying.
In August, Ersin Tatar, prime minister of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, said he has plans to reopen and rebuild the resort.

The Varosha district of Famagusta, Cyprus, was once a booming resort town visited by the rich and famous.

However, after the area was taken over by Turkish forces in 1974, Varosha was blocked off to visitors and quickly fell into disrepair.

Today, Varosha is marked by collapsing hotels and the eerie remnants left behind by those who lived, worked, and vacationed in the town. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is now discussing plans to reopen the resort town, but the area is nothing like it was 40 years ago.

Take a look inside the abandoned ghost town once considered the "French Riviera of Cyprus."

Varosha was once a resort located in the city of Famagusta, Cyprus.

A map showing where Varosha, Famagusta, is located. Google Maps

The rich and famous claimed Verosha as the most beautiful spot on the island.

Varosha in the 1960s. Paul Popper/Popperfoto/Getty Images

But since 1974, everyone but the Turkish military has been forbidden from entering, and today, the once-booming resort town lies crumbling and abandoned.

The ruins of hotels in the Varosha district of Famagusta, Cyprus. trabantos/Getty Images

At its height, Varosha was home to 39,000 residents.

An abandoned hotel is seen in the Varosha quarter of the beach in Famagusta, Cyprus. Awakening/Getty Images

Former residents have recalled the panicked state they left their homes in as the troops invaded.

Broken windows of the abandoned hotels are seen in the Varosha quarter in Famagusta, Cyprus. Awakening/Getty Images

Following the invasion, the resort was fenced and blocked off by the Turkish military, and it has been empty ever since.

Decaying hotel buildings stand beyond a makeshift barrier and a Turkish military sign. Sean Gallup/Getty Images

While the city of Famagusta is home to thousands of residents, who are mostly Turkish, the Varosha sector is still blocked off.

A view over the fence of the abandoned district of Varosha in Famagusta, Cyprus. AstridxAim/Getty Images

Signs label Varosha a "forbidden zone."

A Turkish military sign marks the fence of the "Forbidden Zone" of Varosha district Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Inside the district, buildings are slowly collapsing, abandoned cars are rusting over, and the streets lie empty.

A car is parked in front of the walls that surround the Varosha quarter. Awakening/Getty Images

Tables are still set for meals and designer clothes can be found hanging inside now-abandoned shops.

An abandoned building in the district of Varosha in Famagusta, Cyprus. AstridxAim/Getty Images

After travel restrictions were eased in 2003, former residents were allowed to return and peer into the forgotten resort through fences and barbed wire.

Abandoned houses in the Varosha district. Awakening/Getty Images

"The picture that I had in my mind was of a kind of paradise," one Cypriot who returned to look across the fence at her family's former home told the BBC. "But it felt like some sort of post-apocalyptic nightmare."

An abandoned gas station in the Varosha quarter. Awakening/Getty Images

"The picture that I had in my mind was of a kind of paradise," one Cypriot who returned to look across the fence at her family's former home told the BBC. "But it felt like some sort of post-apocalyptic nightmare."

The main beach is public and open to visitors, but it lies set against the backdrop of decaying hotels and the rest of the abandoned resort town.

Tourists lie on a public beach next to decaying hotel buildings that stand inside the "Forbidden Zone." Athanasios Gioumpasis/Getty Images

Varosha, also known by its Turkish name Maraş, may soon reopen to visitors.

Abandoned buildings in the district of Varosha. Nataliia Tosun/Shutterstock

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A ghost town in Cyprus that was abandoned in the 1970s may soon open to the public again — take a look inside

Varosha was once a resort located in the city of Famagusta, Cyprus.

The rich and famous claimed Verosha as the most beautiful spot on the island.

But since 1974, everyone but the Turkish military has been forbidden from entering, and today, the once-booming resort town lies crumbling and abandoned.

At its height, Varosha was home to 39,000 residents.

Former residents have recalled the panicked state they left their homes in as the troops invaded.

Following the invasion, the resort was fenced and blocked off by the Turkish military, and it has been empty ever since.

While the city of Famagusta is home to thousands of residents, who are mostly Turkish, the Varosha sector is still blocked off.

Signs label Varosha a "forbidden zone."

Inside the district, buildings are slowly collapsing, abandoned cars are rusting over, and the streets lie empty.

Tables are still set for meals and designer clothes can be found hanging inside now-abandoned shops.

After travel restrictions were eased in 2003, former residents were allowed to return and peer into the forgotten resort through fences and barbed wire.

"The picture that I had in my mind was of a kind of paradise," one Cypriot who returned to look across the fence at her family's former home told the BBC. "But it felt like some sort of post-apocalyptic nightmare."

The main beach is public and open to visitors, but it lies set against the backdrop of decaying hotels and the rest of the abandoned resort town.

Varosha, also known by its Turkish name Maraş, may soon reopen to visitors.