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The village of Linou is located in the Solea region of Nicosia district, three kilometers south of the Skouriotissa mines, between Katydhata and Pano Flasou. Goodwin suggests that the name means “wine press” in ancient Greek. The village existed with the same name in the medieval period and was a fief during the Lusignan and Venetian periods. In old maps it is shown as Linu. From Ottoman times until 1964, Linou was a mixed village with a tiny Turkish Cypriot minority.

 

 

Until 1964, the village was always mixed, although Turkish Cypriots never exceeded more than ten families. As can be seen from the chart above, in the Ottoman census of 1831, Christians (Greek Cypriots) constituted the majority of the population with 86%. In 1891, this percentage decreased to 77%. Throughout the twentieth century, while the Greek Cypriot population increased steadily, the Turkish Cypriot population fluctuated and eventually declined. In 1960, the Greek Cypriot share of the population had risen to 95%.

Displacement:

The first conflict-related displacement occurred during the intercommunal tensions of 1958. Most of the Turkish Cypriot inhabitants of Linou fled the village and moved to more secure areas. Eighteen persons returned after 1960. However, they were displaced a second time during intercommunal disturbances in January 1964 and moved to the Turkish Cypriot-controlled small town of Lefka/Lefke(060). None of the Linou Turkish Cypriots returned to their village, and today, most of them are scattered throughout north Cyprus, with a concentration in Morphou/Güzelyurt(072) and Lefka/Lefke(060).

Current Inhabitants:

Currently the village is mainly inhabited by its original Greek Cypriot villagers. Since 1974, the village’s population has been in decline, mainly due to migration to the cities. The last census of 2001 puts the total population of the village at 261.

  

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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)