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Agios Evstathios, or Ayistat (the Turkish Cypriot variation), is historically an exclusively Turkish Cypriot village situated in the Karpasia/Karpaz peninsula. It is located two miles north of Ayios Theodhoros/Çayırova village. Evstathios is thought to mean "a stable person" in Greek. Zeybek-köy is the Turkish alternative name of the village and has been in use since 1958. It means “village of zeybeks.” Zeybeks (zeibeks) were the irregular militia living in the Aegean region of western Anatolia.

 

 

As can be seen from the chart above, in the Ottoman census of 1831, Muslims (Turkish Cypriots) constituted the sole inhabitants of the village. Throughout the British period, too, the village was solely inhabited by Turkish Cypriots, apart from one or two Greek Cypriots who are recorded as living in the village for short periods of time. During the first half of the 20^th century, although the village’s population fluctuated considerably, it steadily increased to 84 in 1946, later rising to 90 in 1960.

Displacement:

From its original population no one was displaced; however, the village served as a transitory reception centre for some displaced Turkish Cypriots in 1964. From 1964 to 1974, it was administratively part of the Turkish Cypriot enclave of Galatia/Mehmetçik (144). During this period Agios Evstathios /Zeybekköy stood as an outpost for the Galatia enclave. Political geographer Richard Patrick estimated the village’s population at 75 in 1971 (90 in 1960).

Current Inhabitants:

Currently the village is mainly inhabited by its original villagers. The 2006 Turkish Cypriot census puts Agios Evstathios/Zeybekköy’s population at 31. Because of the migration of youth to find jobs in the cities and abroad, the village’s population declined considerably, from 90 in 1960 to 31 in 2006. It is important to note that some of the villagers also moved to the Greek Cypriot sector of the village of Agios Theodoros/Çayırova (125) after 1974 and received property in this location. Recent reports show that almost all of the remaining inhabitants are elderly.   

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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)