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Myrtou/Çamlıbel is a village in the western part of the Kyrenia district, situated two kilometres east of Diorios/Tepebaşı and three kilometres northwest of Kyambilli/Hisarköy village. The village takes its name from the myrtle plant, which is myrtos in Greek. Before 1974, this village was exclusively inhabited by Greek Cypriots. In 1975 Turkish Cypriots changed its name to Çamlıbel, meaning “place of pines.”

 

 

As can be seen from the chart above, in the Ottoman census of 1831, Christians constituted the sole inhabitants of this settlement. At the turn of the century there were only one or two Muslim inhabitants living in the village. The population shows a steady increase during the British period, growing from 317 in 1891 to 706 in 1960.

Displacement:

All of its inhabitants were displaced in 1974, as between July and August 1974 they fled from the advancing Turkish army to the southern part of the island. Currently, like the rest of the displaced Greek Cypriots, the Greek Cypriots of Myrtou are scattered throughout the island’s south, with some pockets in cities. The displaced population of Myrtou can be estimated at around 820-830, since its Greek Cypriot population was 820 in 1973.

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Current Inhabitants:

In 1975, the village was used for the settlement of displaced Turkish Cypriots from the southern part of the divide. They are mainly from Androlikou/Gündoğdu(292), Fasli/Fesli(302) and Prodromi/Karşıyaka(334), all villages in the Polis area of Paphos. In the 1996 census, more than half of the 535 Turkish Cypriots of the village showed south Cyprus as their place of birth. The village also hosts a military camp, and some of its houses are used by military personnel and their families.

  

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• 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.
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• 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
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• Standing Cypriot Commission for the Standardization of Geographical Names (2007), “Οδηγος Τυποποιησης Ονοματων (Guide to Standardized Names),” Nicosia: Ministry of Education and Culture.
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• 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.
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• Yorgancıoğlu,  Oğuz: Kıbrıs’ta Türkçe Yer Adları ve Veriliş Yöntemleri Üzerine Bir Araştırma Kıbrıs Araştırmaları Dergisi, Cilt : 2, Sayı : 3, Yıl : 96

Websites:

• http://www.cyprus-village.com/ (for the villages)
• http://news.karpasha.com/
• http://human-rights-archaeology.blogspot.com/
• http://kypros.org/Occupied_Cyprus/ (for the villages in the north)