Coordinates: 35°25′20″N 34°4′20″E / 35.42222°N 34.07222°E / 35.42222; 34.07222

Galateia

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Not to be confused with Galata, Cyprus.
Galateia
belediye
Γαλάτεια (Greek) Mehmetçik (Turkish)
Mehmetçik City Hall
Mehmetçik City Hall
Galateia is located in Cyprus
Galateia
Galateia
Location in Cyprus
Coordinates: 35°25′20″N 34°4′20″E / 35.42222°N 34.07222°E / 35.42222; 34.07222
Country (de jure) Cyprus
 • DistrictFamagusta District
Country (de facto) Northern Cyprus[1]
 • Districtİskele District
Government
 • MayorCemil Saricizmeli
Population
 (2011)[2]
 • Total3,729
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
WebsiteTurkish Cypriot municipality

Galateia (Greek: Γαλάτεια, Turkish: Mehmetçik, "Little Soldier")[3] is a village in the Famagusta District of Cyprus, located on the Karpass peninsula. It is under the de facto control of Northern Cyprus, where it is a municipality belonging to the district of Iskele.

A traditional Turkish village sitting high on a hillside overlooking the valley below,[3] Galáteia is most famous for its summer grape festival,[4][5] for which people travel from all over Cyprus and the world to attend.[3]

Renowned for the grapes harvested from its vineyards,[4][3] they are one of the most exported products to other areas of Cyprus. It is also well known for producing wine,[4] a Cypriot pomace brandy called Zivania,[3] and a traditional grape sweet called Sucuk.[3]

History

Galáteia was a Turkish-Cypriot enclave pre-1974 with no Greek-Cypriot inhabitants, unlike the vast majority of the surrounding villages in the Karpas peninsula. It is also believed to have been a hotbed of Turkish-Cypriot militancy (through membership of paramilitary groups like Volkan and TMT) during the turbulent times of the struggle for independence (1955–1959) and post-independence (1963–74) period.

Grape festival

Initially intended to simply provide villagers with shopping opportunities,[4] Galáteia's grape festival evolved to become a celebration of all things related to grapes.[4][3][5] The festival originally included more cultural activities as well,[4] but over the years this element has gradually declined.[4] In 2007, efforts began to reintroduce cultural elements as a separate festival to be held just before the grape festival.[4]

Festival activities include cooking with grapes, making grape sweets,[3] and winemaking,[3] as well as various symposiums.[4]

Galáteia's grape festival helps to both bring the economic and cultural importance of the grapes and vineyards of her district to the fore[4] and to promote local viticulture.[4]

Culture, sports, and tourism

The Turkish Cypriot Mehmetçik Sports Club was founded in Galáteia in 1943, and in 2015 was in the Cyprus Turkish Football Association (CTFA) K-PET 2nd League.[6]

International relations

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

Twin towns – Sister cities

Galáteia is twinned with:

See also

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, p. 17, archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-11-06
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Description of Mehmetçik
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Culture and Grape Festivals in Mehmetcik, North Cyprus
  5. ^ a b Galáteia Grape Festival
  6. ^ Northern Cyprus Archived June 18, 2015, at the Wayback Machine Association of Football Clubs
  7. ^ "Osmangazi - Twin Towns". © Osmangazi-City.sk. Archived from the original on 2013-10-20. Retrieved 2013-10-19.
  8. ^ "Bağcılar- Twin Towns". © Bağcılar-City.sk. Retrieved 2013-10-19.
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