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Yerolakkos/Alayköy is a village located in the Nicosia district of Cyprus, ten kilometers west of the capital city of Nicosia. Yerolakkos means “holy well” in Greek. After 1974, Turkish Cypriots changed its name to Eskikuyu, meaning “old well,” but they later renamed it Alayköy, meaning “village of the regiment.” The latter name referred to the Turkish regiment (Türk Alayı) of the 1960s which was established in the vicinity of the village as a result of the 1960 treaties of Guarantee, Establishment and Alliance.
Historical Population:
Until 1910, the village was a mixed with a tiny Turkish Cypriot presence. As can be seen from the chart above, in the Ottoman census of 1831, Christians (Greek Cypriots) constituted almost 95% of the overall village population. In 1891 this percentage increased to 97%. The few Muslim families who were living there left the village sometime after 1911 and moved to the Turkish Cypriot village of Gönyeli. Interestingly, Turkish Cypriots reappear in the census reports of 1946, but then almost entirely disappear again in 1960. The reasons behind these population movements have not been determined. On the other hand, until 1960, the overall population growth of the village showed an upward trend, increasing steadily from 457 in 1891 to 1865 in 1960.
Displacement:
All the Greek Cypriots from this village were displaced in August 1974, fleeing from the advancing Turkish army. Currently, like the rest of the displaced Greek Cypriots, the Greek Cypriots of Gerolakkos are scattered throughout the island’s south, with large pockets in towns. The number of the Gerolakkos Greek Cypriots who were displaced in 1974 was around 2,500 (2,455 in the 1973 census).
Current Inhabitants: Today this small town is mainly inhabited by displaced Turkish Cypriots from the island’s south, including some families from south Nicosia(074), Kouklia(312), Limassol(269), Paphos(329) and Larnaca(361). However, the resettlement of this particular location was different from other villages in that it did not receive a large number of Turkish Cypriot displaced persons from a single location. Rather, the town’s current inhabitants came from various locations, including many civil servant families from Nicosia, as well as persons whose houses were near the ceasefire line and hence in what were considered dangerous locations. There are also many Turkish nationals living in the village. They mainly came from the Adana province of Turkey. The 2006 Turkish Cypriot census puts Gerolakkos’ population at 2,539.
REFERENCES
Books and Reports:
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Colonial Office (1893), “Cyprus: Report on the census of Cyprus, taken 6th April 1891,” Mediterranean, No. 39. London: Colonial Office.
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Department of Statitstics and Research, 1997. Estimates of Turkish Cypriots and Settlers from Turkey, Ministry of Finance [Republic of Cyprus], Nicosia.
- Fehmi, Hasan (2003), “Güney’de Kalan Değerlerimiz,” Lefkoşa (Nicosia): Özyay Matbaacılık.
- Fellahoğlu, Esat (2010), “Ulusal Direnişte Baf Köyleri,” İstanbul: Bayrak Matbaacılık.
- Giray, Halil: KKTC Yerleşim Birimleri, Yürürlükteki ve Eski İsimler Listesi KKTC İskân Bakanlığı : KKTC Coğrafi İsimler Kataloğu : (Cilt – I and II), Lefkoşa.
- Goodwin, Jack C. (1984), “An Historical Toponymy of Cyprus (Forth edition),” Nicosia (copy number 6).
- Hart-Davis, C. H (1922), “Report and general abstracts of the census of 1921, taken on the 24th April, 1921,” London: Waterlow & Sons.
- Hart-Davis, C. H (1932), “Report of the Census of 1931,” Nicosia: Cyprus Government Printing Office.
- Hatay, Mete, (2005). “Beyond Numbers: An Inquiery into the Political Integration of the Turkish ‘Settlers’ in Northern Cyprus,” PRIO/Cyprus Centre Report 4/2005, Nicosia/Oslo, PRIO.
- Hill, Sir George, (1952). A History of Cyprus, Vol. IV., Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
- Ioannides, Christos P., 1991. “In Turkey’s Image: The Transformation of Occupied Cyprus into a Turkish Province,” Aristide D. Caratzas, New York.
- KKTC Başbakanlık Devlet Planlama Örgütü Müsteşarlığı, “15 Aralık 1996 Genel Nüfus Sayımı Sonuçları (Özet), 26, November 1997,” Nicosia.
- Mavrogordato, Alexander (1901), “Report and general abstracts of the census of 1901, taken on the 1st April, 1901,” Nicosia: Government Printing Office.
- Mavrogordato, Alexander (1912), “Report and general abstracts of the census of 1911, taken on the 2nd April, 1911,” London: Waterlow & Sons.
- Menardos, Simos (2001), Τοπωνημικαι και Λαογραφικαι Μελεται (Topographical and Folkloric Studies), Nicosia: Centre for Scientific Studies
Perry, Frederic W., 1884. Report on the Census of Cyprus 1881, Eyre and Spottiswoode, London.
- Republic of Cyprus, 1961. “Census of Population and Agriculture, 1960: Volume I: Population by Location, Race, and Sex,” Nicosia
- TRNC 2006 census preliminary results can be found at: www.devplan.org
TRNC Prime Ministry State Planning Organisation Statistics and Research Department, Census of Population: Social and Economic Characteristics of Population, December 15, 1996, TRNC Prime Ministry, Nicosia, 1999.
- Standing Cypriot Commission for the Standardization of Geographical Names (2007), “Οδηγος Τυποποιησης Ονοματων (Guide to Standardized Names),” Nicosia: Ministry of Education and Culture.
- Ministry of Finance (1973), “Micro-Census (April 1973) Population by Village and Ethnic Group, Volume I.” Nicosia: Department of Statistics and Research.
- Özad, Murat Hüsnü (2002), “Baf ve Mücadele Yılları,” Lefkoşa (Nicosia): Akdeniz Haber Ajansı Yayınları.
- Patrick, Richard (1976), “Political Geography and the Cyprus Conflict: 1963-1971,” Department of Geography, Faculty of Environmental Studies, University of Waterloo.
- Percival, D.A. (1949), “Census of population and agriculture 1946 report,” Nicosia: Cyprus Government Printing Office.
- Republic of Cyprus (1962), “Census of population and agriculture, 1960,” Nicosia: Government Printing Office.
- Republic of Cyprus (1984), “Census of population 1982,” Nicosia: Department of Statistics and Research, Ministry of Finance.
- Republic of Cyprus (2003), “Census of population 2001,” Nicosia: Department of Statistics and Research, Ministry of Finance.
- St John-Jones, L. W., 1983. “The Population of Cyprus: Demographic Trends and Socio-Economic Influences” (with a foreword by W. H. Morris-Jones), Maurice Temple, Smith Limited, London.
- T.C. Başbakanlık Devlet Arşivleri Genel Müdürlüğü (2000), “Osmanlı İdaresinde Kıbrıs (Nüfus-Arazi Dağılımı ve Türk Vakıfları),” Ankara: Osmanlı Arşivi Daire Başkanlığı Yayın No: 43.
- Yorgancıoğlu, Oğuz: Kıbrıs’ta Türkçe Yer Adları ve Veriliş Yöntemleri Üzerine Bir Araştırma Kıbrıs Araştırmaları Dergisi, Cilt : 2, Sayı : 3, Yıl : 96
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