MARI

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Mari is a large village situated in the Larnaca district, twenty-five kilometers east of the city of Limassol on a hill immediately south of the Nicosia-Limassol highway. Goodwin suggests that Mari could mean a “small marina” or else could be the corruption of a church name, Agia Marina. Since the Ottoman period Turkish Cypriots have used the alternative name Tatlısu, meaning “sweet water.”
 
 
Historical Population

As can be seen in the above chart, although there was a small Greek Cypriot community living in the village in 1921, from the Ottoman period the village was predominantly inhabited by Turkish Cypriots. Throughout the British period, the population of the village increased significantly, rising from 270 persons in 1891 to 922 in 1960. The reason for the sudden appearance of 256 Greek Cypriots living in the village in 1960 was due to a new mining area in Mari’s vicinity. Richard Patrick argues that both Mari and Ziygi were in fact solely inhabited by Turkish Cypriots before the fighting started in 1963. He adds that the 1960 figures “may indicate the presence of an itinerant Greek Cypriot labour force working in or near those villages at the time of the 1960 census.”

Displacement:

In 1963 and 1964 the village served as an important reception centre for Turkish Cypriot displaced families who evacuated their villages. Richard Patrick recorded 180 displaced Turkish Cypriots still living in the village in 1971. The majority of the displaced Turkish Cypriots who were living in the village at the time fled from Ziygi/Terazi(376) Maroni(364) and Kalavasos(355) villages. The last conflict-related displacement took place during the 1974 war. In September 1974, most of the Turkish Cypriots from the village fled to the Turkish-controlled north of the island. Many also sought refuge in the Dhekelia and Akrotiri British Sovereign Base Areas until they were resettled in the north. The remaining Turkish Cypriots were evacuated by UNFICYP in August 1975. Most of the Turkish Cypriots of Mari were first resettled in Akanthou(126) village in the Famagusta district, renaming it Tatlısu. However, following the displacement of the Greek Cypriots from Belapais(236), the majority of the Mari Turkish Cypriots managed to resettled in that village in 1976-77 and have remained there. The total number of Turkish Cypriot displaced persons from this village is estimated to be around 700 (666 in 1960).

Current Inhabitants:

Currently the village is inhabited by Greek Cypriot displaced persons from the north. According to the village’s web-site, they mainly came from Kalograia(223), Agios Epiktitos(208), Klepini(231), Koutsovendis(234), Kalopsida(151), Pigi Peristerona(183), Exo Metochi(032), Kontea(156), Agia Trias(114), Famagusta(140), Argaki(020), Angastina(128), Prastio(186) of Famagusta, Gypsou(150), Akanthou(126), Kapouti(042), Lysi(167), Milia(175), Davlos(136), Makrasyka(169), Stylloi(195), Zodeia(047), and Acheritou(110)( www.mari.org.cy). In 1976 the inhabitants of the settlement numbered 651. However, the 2001 census put the village’s population at 177.   


 
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