Varosha now sits as an abandoned ghost town (Image: Getty)
, once a glamorous seaside town in adored by celebrities and the international jet set, now stands eerily abandoned, a shadow of its former self.
Located in the Cypriot city of Famagusta, Varosha was a thriving in the 1960s and early 1970s, drawing stars like Elizabeth Taylor and Brigitte Bardot to its pristine beaches and luxury high-rise hotels that dotted the coastline.
However, in 1974, everything changed.
Following Turkey’s military invasion of Cyprus amid ongoing ethnic tensions between Greek and Turkish Cypriots, Varosha’s approximately 39,000 residents fled, leaving behind homes, businesses, and a once-bustling resort town.
The Turkish military took control of the area, and since then, Varosha has remained frozen in time, uninhabited and fenced off from the public.
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Varosha has remained frozen in time, uninhabited and fenced off from the public (Image: Getty)
Today, the town’s empty, decaying hotels and deserted streets serve as a poignant reminder of a once-thriving tourism hub that attracted the world’s elite.
Once hailed as the “jewel of the Mediterranean,” Varosha’s coastline has been off-limits for nearly 50 years, with its former inhabitants unable to return.
Although the area is under Turkish military control, efforts to resolve the political impasse over Cyprus have left the town in limbo, adding to its aura of abandonment.
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While Varosha remains uninhabited and inaccessible to the public, in recent years there have been moves by Turkish authorities to open certain areas of the ghost town to tourists.
Despite this, the majority of the town remains closed, serving as a haunting relic of what was once one of the Mediterranean’s most famous beach resorts.
Varosha’s tragic story continues to echo the unresolved political divide in Cyprus, leaving the town suspended in time—a stark reminder of both the island’s past turmoil and its lost glitz and glamour.