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Kambyli/Hisarköy is situated on the southern slopes of the Five Finger mountains, only three kilometers from Myrtou/Çamlıbel. Even though Kambyli was a mixed village during the Ottoman period and co-inhabited by Maronites, it was exclusively populated by Turkish Cypriots after 1931. Greek Cypriots claim that the name Kambyli means “curve” in Greek. Turkish Cypriots adopted another name, Hisarköy, meaning “castle village” in 1959.

 

 

As can be seen from the chart above, the village was mixed in 1831, with almost 30% of its inhabitants being Maronites. However this percentage dropped to 8% by the turn of the century. It is believed that the last Maronite family left the village in the 1930s. During this same period some Muslim families from Larnaka tis Lapithou/Kozan Köy moved to Kambyli.

Displacement:

From its original population no one was displaced; however, the village served as a reception centre for many displaced Turkish Cypriots in 1964. From 1964 to 1974, it was administratively part of the Turkish Cypriot enclave of Nicosia. During this period Kambyli stood as an isolated outpost for the Nicosia enclave (under Boghaz headquarters). According to geographer Richard Patrick, in 1971, there were 96 displaced Turkish Cypriots residing in a camp which had been erected in 1964. The majority of those staying in Kambyli during this period came from locations such as Morphou/Güzelyurt(072), Diorios/Tepebaşı(219) and Agia Marina/Gürpınar(002).

Current Inhabitants:

Currently the village is mainly inhabited by its original villagers. However, during the last ten years, a few Turkish Cypriots from Nicosia and some Turkish Cypriot returnees from the United Kingdom have also bought property and settled here.

  

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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)