Cyprus under Ottoman Turkish rule since 1570

Compiled By: Syed Ali Shahbaz
On December 16, 1950 AD, the people of Cyprus started their movement for ending British colonial rule. Cyprus, the 3rd largest island in Mediterranean Sea, covers an area of 9251 sq km. It came under Ottoman Turkish rule in 1570, after almost six centuries of the end of the first phase of partial Muslim rule.
In 1878, during the Ottoman-Russian war, the British were allowed to set up a naval base on Cyprus. In 1914, following start of World War I, Britain annexed the island on the pretext of the Ottoman alliance with Germany, and in 1925 declared it as its colony. Since then, clashes between the Greek and Turkish Cypriots started. On August 14, 1960, Cyprus gained independence, but the confrontation between the two communities continued.
In 1974, following a coup staged by Greek Cypriots to merge the island with Greece, Turkey seized the northern part, which is home to Turkish-speaking Muslim Cypriots. Since then the crisis over division of Cyprus has remained unsolved.