Galáteia

Galáteia (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.

Not to be confused with Galata, Cyprus.
Galáteia
belediye
Γαλάτεια (Greek) Mehmetçik (Turkish)
Mehmetçik City Hall
Mehmetçik City Hall
Galáteia is located in Cyprus
Galáteia
Galáteia
Location in Cyprus
Coordinates: 35°25′20″N 34°4′20″E
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

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. Description of Mehmetçik
  4. Culture and Grape Festivals in Mehmetcik, North Cyprus
  5. 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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