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Agia Trias is a village in the Karpasia/Karpaz peninsula of northeastern Cyprus. It is located two kilometers east of the small town of Yialousa/Yeni Erenköy. Before 1974, Agia Trias was predominantly inhabited by Greek Cypriots. The name Agia Trias can be translated as “holy trinity” in Greek. After 1974, Turkish Cypriots changed the village’s name to Sipahi, literally meaning, “cavalry soldier” in Turkish. However, Sipahi is also a brand name for a Turkish cigarette. Many villages in the Karpasia/Karpaz region were renamed after certain cigarette brand names in 1975 (Vothylakas became Derince, Vokolida became Bafra, Vasili became Gelincik, Yialousa became Maltepe [later Yeni Erenköy] and Agia Trias became Sipahi). The explanation given was that the region was the main tobacco growing area of Cyprus. Agia Trias did not exist as a separate village before 1946. Prior to this date. in the censuses it was listed as part of Yialousa village. After the unification of three small hamlets, Monagri, Kakotri and Melini, all of which had formerly been part of Yialousa, Agia Trias began to be listed as a separate entity. This could also explain the origin of the name.  

 

Before 1974, Greek Cypriots constituted the only inhabitants of the village. The first census that counted Agia Trias as a separate entity, in 1946, put the village’s population at 1078. The population of the village showed a steady increase in 1960 and later in 1973.

Displacement:

After the 1974 war, most of the village’s inhabitants remained and were enclaved in the village. During the 1974 war, the peninsula was cut off by Turkish troops, and this prevented the Greek Cypriot inhabitants from fleeing to the other side of the Green Line. As of October 1975 the number of Greek Cypriots who still remained in the village was 1,036. By December 1976 their number dropped to 740; by May 1980 the population dropped to 273. In 1994, only 134 Greek Cypriots were still living in the village. Today, despite the reduction in their numbers, and with only around 120 Greek Cypriot inhabitants, Agia Trias is one of the two villages in the north where Greek Cypriots are still residing. The total number of displaced Greek Cypriots who were uprooted from their homes in Agia Trias between 1974 and 1985 is estimated to be 1,100.

Current Inhabitants:

This village was used for the settlement of Turkish nationals from Turkey in 1976 and 1977. They came from the Black Sea region of Turkey, mostly from the Maçka, Sürmene and Araklı districts of Trabzon province. According to the 2006 Turkish Cypriot census the de jure population of the village was 659 (including Greek Cypriots). During the last ten years, some Turkish Cypriots and European citizens have also bought property and settled in the vicinity of the village.  

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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)