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Islamic Tourism Lefke, in one of the lushest and most fertile pockets of North Cyprus is a pretty unspolit rural town. The head of the Naqshbandi Sufi order, Sheikh Nazim, has made his home here and boosted the local economy by buying the produce of local farms and orchards. The students at the European University of Lefke also liven up the town. The main tourist attraction is the the Ottoman mosque. Spending some time in the Turkish Cypriot countryside is an unforgettable experience. The locals are full of interesting tales and the village mayor, mukthar, who has already been in office for 20 years and is hoping to be elected for another four-year term, is helpful and ensures tourists receive a warm welcome and a deliciously sweet yellow date, which even diabetics can eat. The mayor is the only shop keeper left in the covered market, which has seen better days. He and his colleagues sell fruit, vegetables, frozen chickens, detergents and all other house hold requirements.
Five hundred meters of a stately dual carriageway and the trademark statute of Kamel Ataturk surrounded by well kept gardens, greets visitors. The road then winds down and up again to reach the town centre.
The best way to see Lefke is under the direction of English, Greek and Turkish speaking expert tourist guide, Senol Ciner. He has lived in the town for around 18 years and what he doesn’t know about Lefke probably is not worth knowing. Ciner takes his job seriously. Ask him a question and if he does not know the answer he will ask someone who does. If Senol is not around ask for Huseyin ve Oglu a taxi driver who also knows the town very well.
The best preserved historic artefact is a memorial to commemorate the the coronation of King George IV in 1937.
Lefke’s Islamic heritage consists of three mosques and 38 Ottoman houses, most in urgent need of restoration. The main mosque was once a church. In its garden is the tomb of Piri Osman Pasa who died in 1839. It is the tomb of wishes come true. When the people of the village need a favour, a child, a husband or wife, a cure for an illness they light a candle. The fact that the practice has continued for decades suggests that wishes are often granted. The old minaret was replaced three years ago with a new one. In the gardens of the mosque is a 175-year-old tree, Oriental Plane also known as Cinar Agaci. This magnificent specimen is guaranteed a long life by a law which makes it illegal to cut down trees without official permission.
The second mosque, known as the middle mosque, is from the Ottoman era and the thrid mosque, the lower mosque, has been restored by Sheikh Nazim. He is a controversial figure in the town where he has brought many of the houses. “Turn up any stone and Sheikh Nazim will be there”, said one resentful local who believes the Sheikh’s influence – and money – has penetrated every aspect of the town’s life.
In 1982, the Sheikh, under divine guidance, bought a house down the winding road from the mosque where visitors are subjected to the attentions of an aggressive hawker of souvenirs. He was born in Larnaca and some of the locals question his Islamic credentials. “His name was Nazim Kubrisi – Nazim the Cypriot”, an informed source told Islamic Tourism. “I don’t know how he became a sheikh”. But his followes insist that a prophet is always ridiculed. “Look at what happened to Jesus – he was betrayed by one of his disciples”. More than 100,000 followers from every continent visit the Sheikh every year. He claims a following of five to six million.
Visitors are always welcome at the spacious, renovated residence with an impressive garden. In fact they are given a hug to welcome them to their spiritual home. Tea and delicious home-made cakes are served and the Sheikh himself may answer questions or lead prayers. The followers appear sincere and totally devoted to their master. “He is the sun and the moon”, declared one female devotee.
The second major institution in town is the European University of Lefke whose 900 students generate revenue of $150 m annually for the government. The campus is modern, it is an internationally recognised university, which offers under and post graduate courses in most subjects.
If the embargo on direct flights to North Cyprus is lifted this year the island’s tourist industry could blossom and Lefke may become a major attraction for those eager to experience country life.
Many of the older residents remember the town in its hey day when the Cyprus Mining Co-operation (CMC) was prospecting for gold, iron and asbestos. The company arrived in 1916, built tasteful, small houses for its employees and stayed until 1974 when the island was divided into Greek and Turkish sectors. “The labour costs became too high and there is only one asbestos mine left”, Senol explained. He is concerned about the 35 barrels of poison left behind by the CMC.
CMC was not the first mining venture. In the 18th century BC baskets of plam fronds were used to transport the products of the mines to Famagusta. In 1075 BC the area was devastated by an earthquake and the people moved to Salamis. There is little archaeological excavation on the island nowadays. “It needs time and money and the political will – the Greeks insist that everything belongs to them whereas thirty percent of the island is Turkish”, Senol emphasises.
The citrus industry is also suffering. In 1974 the town was producing 240, tonnes of citrus – today it is only producing 35,000 and the produce cannot be sold easily because of the embargo. There is an olive oil factory still living in the 1950s with antiquated machines and wheat production has become an activity of the past. There were once three water powered wheat crushing machines but they are no where to be found despite Senol’s best efforts.
He ends his tour of Lefke with a delicious lunch at the Isikcan Restaurant in the small fishing village of Gemikonagi a few minutes drive from Lefke. The village was the last stop on the Famagusta railway line open from 1904 to 1951 when the British decided that they were not going to spend pounds 400,000 on repairs.
Senol is optimistic about tourism in Lefke. He looks out at the tiny island in the harbour with the remains of a neolithic settlement and comments that things could stay as they are for another thirty years. But he is also a practical man who has bought a house for his daughters in Turkey. If Turkey is accepted into the European Union and agrees to recognise the Republic of Cyprus (the Greek part of the island) the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus will no longer exist and the Turkish residents may be bribed to leave the island - or worse. Senol remembers the years between 1963 – 1974 which culminated in the division and there is a sad, forlorn look in this eyes.
Getting there: Cyprus Turkish Airlines fly to North Cyprus from most European capitals daily. IAH Ltd also organize flights and sight seeing in North Cyprus and Turkey: www.flightholiday.co.uk
Who to contact: Tursan Tourism and Travel Agency can arrange transport to Lefke
www.tursantourism.com; info attursantourism.com
Senol Ciner can be contacted via Tursan or directly.Mobile 0533-868-80-57; senolcineratyahoo.com | 
