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Kilani is a village situated in the Limassol district, on the southern foothills of the Troodos mountain range, approximately twenty-eight kilometers northwest of Limassol and two kilometers southwest of Perapedhi. The origin of the name is obscure, but Goodwin suggests that it may mean “going down the hill” (for other claims regarding the name see www.kilani.org). In 1958 Turkish Cypriots adopted the alternative name Ceylan, meaning “deer.” 

 

As can be seen in the above chart, although the village had a mixed population from the Ottoman period, the village was always predominantly inhabited by Greek Cypriots, with Turkish Cypriots constituting a tiny minority.

Displacement:

The first conflict-related displacement took place in December 1963, when all the Turkish Cypriots of Kilani/Ceylan fled the village and sought refuge in the Turkish Cypriot enclaves of Avdimou/Düzkaya(260) and Paramali/Çayönü(274). Some remained in the villages where they sought refuge until 1974. Others returned to Kilani/Ceylan after 1969, but they were again displaced in 1974, when they fled to the Akrotiri British Base Area. They remained in the Base Area until early 1975, when in January and February they were all transferred via Turkey to the northern part of the divide. The total number of displaced Turkish Cypriots from Kilani/Ceylan can be estimated to be 40 (35 in the 1960 census).

Current Inhabitants:

Currently the village is mainly inhabited by its original Greek Cypriot villagers. Due to the very intensive emigration of the youth to the cities, the village’s population has drastically declined in recent years. The last Cypriot census of 2001 put the total population at 244.

  

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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)