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PRASTİO (Morphou)

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Prastio, or Prastion-Morphou, is a village located in the Nicosia district, six kilometers southwest of Morphou/Güzelyurt. Some claim that Prastio is a corruption of “prastij,” thus in Greek means “hamlet.” On the other hand, geographer Jack Goodwin proposes that the name could be a derivation from the ancient Greek, “pro-asti” meaning “towards the city.” In 1975, Turkish Cypriots changed the name to Aydınköy, meaning “bright village” or “enlightened village.” The Ottoman name of the village as recorded in the 1831 census was Prasko or Praşkü.
 
 
 
Historical Population:

In the Ottoman census of 1831, the village is recorded as mixed, although Christians (Greek Cypriots) constituted almost 87% of the population. In 1891 there were no Turkish Cypriots living in Prastio. Throughout the British period the population of the village increased significantly, rising from 182 in 1891 to 545 in 1960.

Displacement:

In August 1974, the Greek Cypriots fled the village from the advancing Turkish army. Currently, like most of the displaced Greek Cypriots, the Greek Cypriots of Prastio are scattered throughout the island’s south, with large pockets in towns. The number of the Prastio Greek Cypriots who were displaced in 1974 was around 600 (545 in the 1960 census).

Current Inhabitants:

Currently the village is mainly inhabited by displaced Turkish Cypriots from Malia/Bağlarbaşı(270), Paramali/Çayönü(274), Kivides/Alsandık(267) and Silikou(280) in the Limassol district; Flasou/Flasu(034) in the Nicosia district; Chrysochou/Altıncık(299), Agios Ioannis/Aydın(285), Arodes/Kalkanlı(294), Agios Georgios/Kavaklı(284), Souskiou/Susuz(337), Marona/Uluçam(323), Pelathousa/Karaağaç(330), Makounta/Yakacık(319), Anadiou/Görmeli(290), Agios Nikolaos/Esentepe(287), Kidasi/Ceyhan(310) in the Paphos district. There are also displaced persons from Kokkina/Erenköy(050) and non-displaced Turkish Cypriots from Lefka/Lefke(060). In addition, amongst the village’s current inhabitants there are also some farmers from Turkey, who originate from places such as Adana, Kayseri, Silifke, Adıyaman and Alaşehir. They settled in the village in the late 1970s. During the orange-picking seasons, the village also hosts many seasonal workers from Turkey. They are lodged in tents or prefabricated accommodations specifically erected for them, usually located in the orange orchards where they work. The 2006 Turkish Cypriot census puts the village’s population at 1,154.  


 
REFERENCES
 
Books and Reports:
  • Colonial Office (1893), “Cyprus: Report on the census of Cyprus, taken 6th April 1891,” Mediterranean, No. 39. London: Colonial Office.
  • 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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