| Ayios Ilias | |
|---|---|
| Αγιος Ηλίας (Greek) Yarköy (Turkish) | |
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Ayios Ilias
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Cyprus |
| District | Famagusta District |
| Municipality | |
| Time zone | EET (UTC+2) |
| • Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) |
Ayios Ilias (Greek: Αγιος Ηλίας, Turkish: Yarköy) is a village in the Famagusta District of Cyprus, located 6 km northeast of Trikomo.
Traditionally the village was primarily inhabited by Greek speaking Orthodox Christians. Since the British arrival in 1878, the Census Reports show that the population was thus:
Eastern Orthodox Christians : Muslims
Year 1881- 315 :8 Year 1891- 390 :8 Year 1946- 631 :0 Year 1960- 422 :0
The first school was established in the village during the Ottoman period, in 1865. Before this, the village priests and perhaps monks provided some teaching from religious books held in the church.
In August 1974 the villagers were forced to flee their village by the approaching Turkish army. Today the village is inhabited by settlers from the Anatolia region of Turkey. This settlement programme is illegal under International Law. Today many Aileliotes can be found all over the world in places including the UK, USA, Australia, Greece and South America. Many sought refuge in the southern towns,cities and villages of Cyprus and have remained there, longing to return to their family homes free of the illegal Turkish occupation.