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Komi Kebir is a village located on the Karpasia/Karpaz peninsula eight kilometers east of Kantara castle and almost four kilometers northwest of Livadia/Sazlıköy(166) village. The name of the village means “big settlement” and is a combination of the Greek komi, settlement, and the Arabic Kebir, big. In 1958 Turkish Cypriots adopted an alternative name, Büyük Konuk, literally meaning “big guest” or “distinguished guest.” 

 

As can be seen from the chart above, Komi Kebir was always a mixed village, and until 1974 Christians always constituted the majority. Over the course of the 20^th century, the Greek Cypriot proportion of the village’s population fluctuated between 69% and 75%. In 1960 Greek Cypriots constituted almost 75% of the population.

Displacement:

There was no displacement in 1963-4 but due to certain tensions, in 1964 a UNFICYP camp was established in the village. They continued their operation in the village until 1974. Many of its Greek Cypriot inhabitants were displaced in August 1974. They fled from the advancing Turkish army to the southern part of the island. However, some of the Greek Cypriots chose to stay and were enclaved in the village until early 1976. Jack Goodwin recorded that there were almost 155 Greek Cypriots still living in the village in November 1975. This number, however, dropped drastically in a short period of time. By December 1976 there were no Greek Cypriots left in the village. Currently, like the rest of the displaced Greek Cypriots, the Greek Cypriots of Komi Kebir are scattered throughout the island’s south. The displaced population of Komi Kebir could be estimated to be around 570 since its Greek Cypriot population was 562 in 1973.

Current Inhabitants:

Currently the village is mainly inhabited by its original Turkish Cypriot villagers and displaced Turkish Cypriots from villages in the Paphos district such as Axilou(297), Pitargou(331), Amargeti(289) and Lapithiou(316). However, in 1976 and 1977, apart from its original inhabitants and displaced Turkish Cypriots from the south, the village was also used for the settlement of some people from Turkey. The 2006 Turkish Cypriot census puts the total population of the village at 1,109.  

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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)