Varosha Ghost Town

Varosha is 6.19 square kilometres in the southern quarter of Famagusta. It gets its name from the Turkish word varoş meaning 'suburb'. The place where Varosha is located now was originally empty fields where animals grazed.
In the early 1970s, Famagusta was the top tourist destination in Cyprus with new high-rise buildings and hotels and one of the most popular tourist destinations in the whole world, attracting celebrities such as Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Raquel Welch, and Brigitte Bardot. In 1974 Varosha came under Turkish control, and has remained abandoned ever since.
In 2004, The Annan Plan to reunify the island provided for the return of Varosha to the original residents, but this was rejected by Greek Cypriots in a referendum.
Buildings continue to decay with parts of the city have being reclaimed by nature as metal corrodes, windows are broken, and plants work their roots into the walls and pavements, and grow wild in old window boxes.
In 2014, the BBC reported that sea turtles were observed nesting on the beaches in the city. The main features of Varosha included John F. Kennedy Avenue, a street which ran from close to the port of Famagusta, through Varosha and parallel to Glossa beach. Along JFK Avenue, there were many well-known high-rise hotels including the King George Hotel, The Asterias Hotel, The Grecian Hotel, The Florida Hotel, and The Argo Hotel, which was the favourite hotel of Elizabeth Taylor. The Argo Hotel is located near the end of JFK Avenue, looking towards Protaras and Fig Tree Bay.
Another major street in Varosha was Leonidas, that came off JFK Avenue and headed west towards Vienna Corner. Leonidas was a major shopping and leisure street in Varosha, consisting of bars, restaurants, nightclubs, and a Toyota car dealership.
In a show of good faith, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) recently opened two of Varosha's streets to visitors. It has become a tourist attraction, with bike rentals, cafes, playgrounds and a beach volley court at the foot of empty buildings on the verge of collapse.
Since the partial reopening of Varosha, apparently more than 400,000 visitors have walked its streets. On 19 May 2022, Northern Cyprus opened a 600m long X 400m wide stretch of beach on the Golden Sands beach (from the King George Hotel to the Oceania Building) in Varosha for commercial use. Sun beds and umbrellas were installed.