Lefka

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Lefka (Greek: Λεύκα, Turkish: Lefke) is a town in northwestern Cyprus, overlooking Morphou Bay. It is located in the Nicosia District, in the area controlled by the government of the de facto Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. In 1997 Lefka had 6,000 inhabitants. The town is the site of the European University of Lefke.

[edit] History

During the Venetian period in Cyprus Lefka was dominated by Catholics of Italian descent. The town sent troops to help defend Nicosia against the Ottoman Turkish invaders in 1571. However, after the Ottomans successfully invaded Cyprus the Catholics were given a choice of converting to Islam or Greek Orthodoxy or going into exile. With many Catholics converting to Islam and Turks from Anatolia being settled in the estates of expelled Catholics, Lefka, just like other Catholic settlements across Cyprus, became the Muslim and Turkish Cypriot stronghold that it is to this day.