During the Ottoman period and throughout the British period, the population of the village was mixed, with Greek Cypriots usually constituting the majority. In the population census of 1881 and 1891, the inhabitants of Pano Polemidia were counted with the inhabitants of Kato Polemidia. During the British period, the population of the village increased significantly from 677 persons in 1901 to 2,268 in 1960.
Displacement:
No one was displaced from this village during the 1950s emergency years, nor during the intercommunal strife of 1963-64. Throughout the latter period the Turkish Cypriot part of the village served as a reception center for displaced Turkish Cypriots who fled the nearby villages of Kilani/ Ceyhan(266), Fasoula(263), Cherkez(261), Trakhoni/Kayakale(281), Silikou/Silifke(280) and Malia/Bağlarbaşı(270). Richard Patrick recorded 59 displaced Turkish Cypriots still living in the village in 1971. Patrick also claims that both Kato Polemidia and Pano Polemidia present an anomaly. He notes that during the 1960s, when many of the Turkish Cypriot villages were not accessible to the Greek Cypriot authorities of the Republic of Cyprus, the Greek Cypriot police were freely patrolling the Turkish Cypriot village centers. Many Greek Cypriots were also mixing freely with the Turkish Cypriots in these villages. Although there was a Greek National Guard stationed in the vicinity of the village, uniformed Turkish Cypriot Fighters were openly walking the streets of these villages. Apparently, the Greek Cypriot police of the Republic of Cyprus tolerated their presence as long as they did not carry any weapons (Patrick 1976, 308).
The first conflict-related displacement from Kato Polemidia/Binatlı took place after 1974, when the village’s Turkish Cypriot population fled to the Akrotiri British Base Area in July 1974. While some fled clandestinely to the north, most stayed in the Base Area until January 1975, when they were all transferred via Turkey to the island’s north. They were mainly resettled in Morphou. The total number of the displaced Turkish Cypriots from Kato Polemidia/Aşağı Binatlı can be estimated to be 1,100 or 1,200 (the population was 982 in the 1960 census and 1,100 in the 1973 census).
Current Inhabitants:
Currently the village is mainly inhabited by displaced Greek Cypriots from the north. According to Goodwin many of the first displaced persons who settled in the village came from Argaki(020) and Kato Zodeia(047) villages in the Morphou area of north Cyprus. Apart from the usage of Turkish Cypriot houses, many new houses were constructed for the displaced families. The last Cypriot census of 2001 put the total population at 18,452.
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