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Timi is a village located in the Paphos district, ten kilometers southeast of the town of Paphos (Ktima) and three kilometers northwest of Mandria. The name may derive from the Greek word timi, which means “honor,” or other relatives of this word meaning “true” or “honest.” In 1958 Turkish Cypriots adopted the name Ovalık, meaning “open plain.”
Historical Population:
Until 1964, Timi was a mixed village with a Greek Cypriot majority. As may be seen from the chart above, in the Ottoman census of 1831, Christians (Greek Cypriots) constituted almost 61% of the population. This ratio increased to 69% in 1891, almost fifteen years after the British arrived. By 1946, the Greek Cypriot proportion of the population was still 69%. In 1960, the Greek Cypriot proportion of the village dropped to 65%.
Displacement:
The first temporary displacement took place in June 1958, after many Greek Cypriots from nearby villages such as Anarita(291) and Nata intimidated the Turkish Cypriots of Timi village. All the frightened villagers sought refuge in the Turkish sector of Mandria(322) village, and remained there for three months until the British administration established a police station in Timi, when they returned to their homes. In January 1964, the Timi Turkish Cypriots again left their homes for the relative safety of Mandria(322), but this time, they were persuaded to return to Timi after only two days.
During the 1974 war, Greek Cypriot forces captured the Turkish quarter of Timi after a short exchange of fire. All the fighting age males were arrested and sent to the Geroskipou POW camp. After 66 days of confinement they were exchanged with Greek Cypriot POWs and sent to the island’s north, by then under Turkish control. During their captivity, some of the remaining villagers fled and sought refuge in the Akrotiri Sovereign British Base Area. They were transferred to the north via Turkey in January 1975. The 117 persons who had stayed in Timi were eventually evacuated to the north under UNFICYP escort on 16 August 1975. The Turkish Cypriots from Timi were mainly settled in Karavas/Alsancak(226) and Lapithos/Lapta(237) villages, although some families were also settled in other villages and towns in the north. The number of displaced Timi Turkish Cypriots may be estimated to have been around 230 (220 in the 1973 census).
Current Inhabitants: The village is currently occupied by its original Greek Cypriots inhabitants and a number of displaced Greek Cypriots from the north, who were settled in Timi’s Turkish Cypriot quarter. The 2001 census put the village’s population at 899.
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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