Trikomo
The main square in Trikomo
The main square in Trikomo
Trikomo is located in Cyprus
Trikomo
Trikomo
Location in Cyprus
Coordinates: 35°17′15″N 33°53′30″E / 35.28750°N 33.89167°E / 35.28750; 33.89167
Country (de jure) Cyprus
 • DistrictFamagusta District
Country (de facto) Northern Cyprus[1]
 • Districtİskele District
Government
 • MayorHasan Sadıkoğlu (UBP)
Population
 (2011)[2]
 • Total1,948
 • Municipality
7,906
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
ClimateCsa
Websiteİskele Municipality

Trikomo (Greek: Τρίκωμο; Turkish: İskele) is a town in North-Eastern Mesaoria in Cyprus. It is under the de facto control of Northern Cyprus and is the administrative center of the İskele District of Northern Cyprus. It gained municipality status in 1998.[3]

History

Prior to the Turkish invasion of Cyprus of 1974, the population of Trikomo consisted almost entirely of Greek Cypriots, most of whom were illegally evicted from their properties during the Turkish invasion on the island in summer 1974. The Greek Cypriots who were evicted are now considered as "refugees" and been displaced to the south of the island. Similarly, in 1974, Turkish Cypriots from the Skala neighbourhood of Larnaca ("İskele" in Turkish) settled in the village, giving it the Turkish translation of the name of the location they were living in before 1974 (lit. "New İskele", later shortened to İskele).[4]

Turkish Cypriot Larnaca Municipality that was founded in 1958 moved to Trikomo in 1974.[5]

Culture, sports, and tourism

Turkish Cypriot Larnaka Gençler Birliği or İskele Gençlerbirliği Sports Club was founded in 1934 in Larnaca, and as of the 2018-19 season plays in the KTFF Süper Lig.[6][7]

Greek Orthodox church in İskele (Trikomo)

Trikomo contains the Panagia Theotokos Church, which hosts an icon museum showcasing rare examples of medieval iconography in Cyprus.[8] The church is a twin church consisting of Orthodox and Catholic sections. Its older Catholic section dates to the Byzantine era while the Catholic section was built in the 12th century[8] during the Lusignan period.[9]

The town also annually hosts the İskele Festival, which takes place for ten days in the summer, and is the oldest annual festival in Cyprus, first held in Larnaca in 1968. In 1974, the festival was moved to Trikomo along with the move of the Turkish Cypriot inhabitants. It features an international folk dance festival, concerts by Turkish Cypriot and mainland Turkish musicians, various sports tournaments, food stalls and competitions, as well as other shows and contests highlighting the cultural heritage of the town.[10]

Politics

The current mayor of the town is Hasan Sadıkoğlu. Sadıkoğlu was elected in 2014 as an independent candidate.[11] He was elected once more in 2018 as the candidate of the right-wing National Unity Party (UBP), winning with 54.6% of the votes.[12][13] In the local elections of 2018, four members of the UBP, two members of the pro-settler Rebirth Party (YDP) and two members of the left-wing Republican Turkish Party (CTP) were elected to the eight-member municipal council.[14]

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Northern Cyprus

Twin towns — sister cities

Trikomo is twinned with:

Notable people

References

  1. ^ In 1983, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus unilaterally declared independence from the Republic of Cyprus. The de facto state is not recognised by any UN state except Turkey.
  2. ^ KKTC 2011 Nüfus ve Konut Sayımı [TRNC 2011 Population and Housing Census] (PDF), TRNC State Planning Organization, 6 August 2013
  3. ^ Iskele Municipality Archived 2014-02-02 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ "TRIKOMO", Internal Displacement in Cyprus, PRIO Cyprus Centre, retrieved 20 October 2014
  5. ^ Iskele Municipality History
  6. ^ "Orda bir köy var uzakta...!". Yeni Düzen. 24 August 2009. Archived from the original on November 10, 2012. Retrieved 5 September 2015.((cite web)): CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  7. ^ Northern Cyprus Archived 2015-06-18 at the Wayback Machine Association of Football Clubs
  8. ^ a b "Karpaz Area Local Development Strategy" (PDF). EU Aid Programme for the Turkish Cypriot Community. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 December 2014.
  9. ^ "Panagia Theotokos". cyprustemples.com. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  10. ^ "48. Geleneksel İskele Festivali başlıyor! Kaynak: 48. Geleneksel İskele Festivali başlıyor!". Detay. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
  11. ^ "İskele Belediye Başkanlığı sonuçları: Bağımsız Hasan Sadıkoğlu kazandı". Haber KKTC. 29 June 2014. Archived from the original on 2 July 2014. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  12. ^ "İskele yeniden Hasan Sadıkoğlu dedi". BRT. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
  13. ^ "2018 KKTC Yerel Seçim Sonuçları belli oldu!". Gündem Kıbrıs. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
  14. ^ "24 Haziran Yerel Seçim Sonuçları: Meclis Üyeleri". Havadis. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
  15. ^ "We are connected to Cyprus with Our Hearts". © Dost Beykoz. Retrieved 2015-06-18.
  16. ^ "Twin towns of Buyukcekmece Municipality". © Buyukcekmece Municipality. Retrieved 2015-06-18.
  17. ^ "Twin Town to Finike from Cyprus". © Finike Municipality. Archived from the original on 2015-06-18. Retrieved 2015-06-18.
  18. ^ "Mamak - Twin Towns". © Mamak-City.sk. Archived from the original on 2013-10-20. Retrieved 2013-10-19.
  19. ^ "İskele Belediyesi ve Pendik Belediyesi arasında "Kardeş Şehir" protokolü imzalandı.". © Pendik-City.sk. Archived from the original on 2013-10-21. Retrieved 2013-10-19.
  20. ^ "Samsun - Twin Towns". © Samsun-City.sk. Archived from the original on 2013-10-20. Retrieved 2013-10-19.
  21. ^ https://www.ucy.ac.cy/aru/documents/Projects/Karagiorgis_CV_en.pdf[bare URL PDF]
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