KALYVAKIA

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Kalyvakia is a Turkish Cypriot village situated on the foothills of the Five Finger mountain range, eight kilometers northeast of Kythrea/Değirmenlik. Turkish Cypriot linguist Osman Erciyas claims that the name derived from galif, meaning “small huts” in Greek and since the Ottoman period, Turkish Cypriots have used a corrupted version of galif or galivaca, Kalavaç, to refer to their village. Kalavaç has no meaning in Turkish. It is important to note that the Turkish Cypriot villagers still use this name today. 
 
 
Historical Population:

Since the Ottoman period, Kalyvakia/Kalavaç has been inhabited predominantly by Turkish Cypriots. Although the 1891 British census recorded some Greek Cypriots residing in the village, since they were all male, we can safely assume that they were there for some kind of seasonal work when the census was undertaken. The population steadily increased from 73 in 1901 to 221 in 1960.

Displacement:

No one was displaced from this village during the intercommunal strife of the 1960s. However, during this period the village served as a temporary reception center for displaced Turkish Cypriots who had fled from nearby villages such as Palaikythro/Balıkesir(081). Richard Patrick did not record any displaced persons living there in 1971, suggesting that the village hosted displaced persons only for a short period of time.

Current Inhabitants:

Kalyvakia/Kalavaç is currently largely inhabited by its original villagers. The last Turkish Cypriot census of 2006 put the village’s population at 248.  


 
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