Once a glamorous hotspot for the world’s rich and famous, the Cypriot resort town of Varosha has stood frozen in time for over 50 years but now, after decades of abandonment, it may finally reopen. Located along the coast in a quarter of the city of Famagusta in Northern Cyprus, Varosha, also known by its Turkish name, Maraş, was the country’s crown jewel of tourism in the early 1970s. It drew in stars like Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and Brigitte Bardot to its golden beaches and luxury hotels.
Lavish high-rises lined John F. Kennedy Avenue, the town’s main artery, and beachfront resorts like the Argo Hotel buzzed with activity, offering sweeping views of the Mediterranean. However, when Turkey invaded in 1974 following a coup in Cyprus, the town’s Greek Cypriot residents fled overnight. The Turkish military fenced it off, and no one has lived there since.
Varosha was once bustling with dozens of grand hotels, 45 in total, and around 3,000 commercial properties.
Today, these buildings stand abandoned and decaying. Among them was the famous Golden Sands Hotel, an enormous complex that opened in 1974 and was proudly promoted as “the world’s first seven-star hotel.”
Surrounded by crystal-clear waters and once thriving with visitors, it now lies in ruins and has become a destination for dark tourism. Its dark past is marked by the displacement of thousands of residents forced to leave their homes.
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Varosha was sealed off after the events of 1974 on the island, becoming a symbol of division between Greek and Turkish Cypriots.
A small section, around 3.5%, was reopened to visitors in 2020 and has brought 2.2 million visitors since, while the majority remains off-limits behind barbed wire.
Despite repeated international calls to place the area under UN control, Turkish Cypriot authorities have announced plans to redevelop parts of Varosha.
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Varosha is under the control of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, a de facto state that is recognised only by Turkey.
Greek Cypriots are seeking compensation or rights to Varosha properties they fled in 1974, which are now controlled by Turkish Cypriots.
In June 2025, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Turkey must pay compensation for delays in resolving Greek Cypriot property claims in Varosha, confirming that the Immovable Property Commission (IPC) is a valid legal route for these disputes.
Turkish Cypriot leader, Ersin Tatar, welcomed the ruling, saying it supports their property system and condemned recent arrests by Greek Cypriot authorities over property sales in the north.
(Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)