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Trapeza village is situated on the northern slopes of the Five Finger mountains just below the Five Finger peak that gives its name to the Kyrenia range. It is located almost twenty kilometers west of Kyrenia town and three kilometers west of Klepini/Arapköy village. This small village was through most of its history exclusively inhabited by Turkish Cypriots. Some of the local Turkish Cypriots claim that the name Trapeza is a corrupted version of Trabzon, which is a city on the Black Sea coast of Turkey. However, a better explanation would seem to be that the name comes from the Greek trapeza, which means table, just like the landscape where the village was built. Turkish Cypriots invented an alternative name, Teknecik in 1959. However, in the late 1970s, the village was renamed “Beşparmak,” meaning Five Finger. This no doubt derives from the village’s location just beneath the Five Finger peak. 

 

According to the 1891 census, only four houses were inhabited and the total population was only 22, two of whom were Christians and 20 who were Muslims. Since both of the Christians were females, we can speculate that these two persons were married to Turkish Cypriots of the village. Interestingly in 1911 the Christian population of the village increased to 15 persons, constituting almost 20% of the total population. However, Christians vanish from Trapeza’s census records in 1921, as this census shows that the village was again exclusively inhabited by Muslims. Although the number of residents increased to 107 by 1946, there was a sharp decline in 1960, when the recorded population dropped to 79 (all Turkish Cypriots).

Displacement:

Due to intercommunal strife, in January 1964 all Trapeza Turkish Cypriots (around 90) fled from he village and took refuge in Kazafani/Ozanköy(229) village. However, in early March 1964 the National Guard attacked the Turkish Cypriot quarter of Kazafani(229) village. When a ceasefire was arranged, almost 40% of the Turkish Cypriots left the village, as well as all the displaced persons of Trapeza. Many of them were moved to the camps in Agirda/Ağırdağ(211) and Boghaz(215). However, beginning in 1972-3 some of the Turkish Cypriots of Trapeza returned to their village. Although some villagers continued to return after 1974, more chose to settle in Klepini village in abandoned Greek Cypriot houses, as their own homes had been destroyed during the previous decade.

Current Inhabitants:

Currently the village is mainly inhabited by some of its original villagers. However, during the last ten years, many Turkish Cypriots from Nicosia and some Turkish Cypriot returnees from United Kingdom have also bought property and built summer houses in the vicinity of the village.  

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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)