KATALIONTAS

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Kataliontas was a small hamlet situated in the Tamasia region of the Nicosia district. It was located twenty-five kilometers south of the capital city of Nicosia and two kilometers south of Analiontas. It was a Turkish Cypriot village until the intercommunal tensions of 1958. The name Kataliontas literally means “lower lion.” There is also a nearby village named Analiontas, meaning “upper lion.” According to the Analiontas village’s official website, these names probably derive from the Venetian period, as the lion was symbolically associated with the Evangelist Mark, who was the patron saint of the Venetians. However, Venetian maps of the period refer to these villages as Anolido and Katolido.

 
 
Historical Population:

Kataliontas was a Turkish Cypriot hamlet from the Ottoman period. As can be seen from the chart above, in the Ottoman census of 1831, Muslims (Turkish Cypriots) constituted the sole inhabitants. During the first half of the 20th century, the population of the village fluctuated. From 1946 onwards the village was counted as part of Analiontas(17) village. The 1946 census put the total Turkish Cypriot population of both villages at 35.

Displacement:

It is known that all the Turkish inhabitants of Analiontas(17) were displaced in 1958 (35 persons in 1946). Most sought refuge in nearby Turkish Cypriot villages or in the Turkish sector of Nicosia.

Current Inhabitants:

The village no longer exists. Goodwin suggests that after the flight of the Turkish Cypriots in 1958, the village was never again inhabited. Due to its abandonment and looting, Kataliontas fell into ruins and eventually, in 1977, the remains of the village were demolished.  


 
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