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Marona is located in the valley of Dhiarizos, twenty-four kilometers east of Paphos (Ktima) and five kilometers west of Mousere. The origin of the name is obscure. Some claim that the name implies that the village had a Maronite population at one time. However, Goodwin claims that the village was named after a mythological priest of Thrace. In 1958 Turkish Cypriots adopted the alternative name Uluçam, meaning “magnificent pine tree.” 

 

According to the Ottoman census of 1831, the village was solely inhabited by Muslims. However, British censuses report that until 1960, Marona was a mixed village with a Turkish Cypriot majority. The small Greek Cypriot presence in the village fluctuated, rising from one family in 1911 to 23 persons in 1931, before dropping to 14 in 1946. By 1960 there were only three Greek Cypriots living in the village. During the intercommunal tensions of the late 1950s, most of the Greek Cypriots of the village left behind their houses and moved to the relative safety of nearby villages. The total population of the village increased steadily from 179 in 1891 to 414 in 1960.

Displacement:

All but three Greek Cypriots were displaced due to the intercommunal tensions of the late 1950s. Approximately 20 Greek Cypriots abandoned their houses and sought refuge in the nearby village of Fini. No one was displaced during the intercommunal strife of 1963-64. However, the village became a reception center for displaced Turkish Cypriots from Pano Archimandrita(293). Richard Patrick recorded 35 displaced Turkish Cypriots still residing in the village in 1971. He also put the total population of this enclave at 125. Most of these displaced persons stayed in Marona until 1975, when they moved to the northern part of the divide.

The village was not attacked by Greek Cypriot forces in 1974. However, most of the villagers fled the village through the mountains to the island’s north, or took refuge in the British Base areas, later (January 1975) to be transferred to the north via Turkey. The remaining 23 persons were evacuated to the north under UNFICYP escort on 16 August 1975. They were mainly resettled in Agios Amvrosios/Esentepe(207), Prastio/Aydınköy(091), Zodeia/Bostancı(047), Morphou/Güzelyurt(072), Masari/Şahinler(068), Fyllia/Serhatköy(035), Lysi/Türkmenköy(167) and Famagusta(140). The total number of Marona Turkish Cypriots who were displaced after 1974 was approximately 110 (105 in the 1960 census).

Current Inhabitants:

After the departure of the Turkish Cypriots, no one settled in the village. The entire village is in ruins now.  

• Colonial Office (1893), “Cyprus: Report on the census of Cyprus, taken 6th April 1891,” Mediterranean, No. 39. London: Colonial Office.
• Department of Statitstics and Research, 1997. Estimates of Turkish Cypriots and Settlers from Turkey, Ministry of Finance [Republic of Cyprus], Nicosia.
• Fehmi, Hasan (2003), “Güney’de Kalan Değerlerimiz,” Lefkoşa (Nicosia): Özyay Matbaacılık.
• Fellahoğlu, Esat (2010), “Ulusal Direnişte Baf Köyleri,” İstanbul: Bayrak Matbaacılık.
• Giray, Halil: KKTC Yerleşim Birimleri, Yürürlükteki ve Eski İsimler Listesi KKTC İskân Bakanlığı : KKTC Coğrafi İsimler Kataloğu : (Cilt – I and II), Lefkoşa.
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• Hart-Davis, C. H (1922), “Report and general abstracts of the census of 1921, taken on the 24th April, 1921,” London: Waterlow & Sons.
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• Hatay, Mete, (2005). “Beyond Numbers: An Inquiery into the Political Integration of the Turkish ‘Settlers’ in Northern Cyprus,” PRIO/Cyprus Centre Report  4/2005, Nicosia/Oslo, PRIO.
• Hill, Sir George, (1952). A History of Cyprus, Vol. IV., Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
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• Republic of Cyprus, 1961. “Census of Population and Agriculture, 1960: Volume I: Population by Location, Race, and Sex,” Nicosia
• TRNC 2006 census preliminary results can be found at:  www.devplan.org
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• Standing Cypriot Commission for the Standardization of Geographical Names (2007), “Οδηγος Τυποποιησης Ονοματων (Guide to Standardized Names),” Nicosia: Ministry of Education and Culture.
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• Republic of Cyprus (1962), “Census of population and agriculture, 1960,” Nicosia: Government Printing Office.
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• St John-Jones, L. W., 1983. “The Population of Cyprus: Demographic Trends and  Socio-Economic Influences” (with a foreword by W. H. Morris-Jones), Maurice  Temple, Smith Limited, London.
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• Yorgancıoğlu,  Oğuz: Kıbrıs’ta Türkçe Yer Adları ve Veriliş Yöntemleri Üzerine Bir Araştırma Kıbrıs Araştırmaları Dergisi, Cilt : 2, Sayı : 3, Yıl : 96

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)