For many years now, I have dedicated my time to researching the 1,400 year Islamic history of Cyprus – a history as old as Islam itself. This passion of mine involves a lot of reading and rummaging through historical archives to uncover the lives of long forgotten historic personalities and a heritage that can often […]
A press release issued by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) to remind Britain’s Turkish speaking communities to complete the Census has infuriated Turkish Cypriots after they were omitted. Turkish Cypriots make up the largest and oldest of the UK’s diverse Turkish speaking communities. Yet neither the community, nor its Islamic faith – also the […]
Tuesday marks the start of Ramadan, or Ramazan in Turkish, for most of the world’s 1.8 billion Muslims. This holiest of months is when the Ku’ran was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammed. Each year, Muslims go through their own spiritual reawakening. For the next thirty days, all healthy Muslims will fast during daylight hours, […]
I was deeply saddened to hear the news of Aysın Yılmaz’s passing. I had the honour of working with her during my time as a committee member of the Council of Turkish Cypriot Associations in Britain (CTCA UK) when she was president (2013-2015). She took on the presidency at a time when the CTCA had […]
If you are curious about history or Cyprus, the Cezire Association is organising a fascinating afternoon of talks about the ancestors of present-day Turkish Cypriots. Four speakers will present different aspects of Turkish and Islamic influence on the island before the Ottoman conquest of 1570-71. The panel comprises Dr Gökçe Yükselen Abdurrazak Peler, the Vice […]
If you are a British citizen of Turkish Cypriot heritage currently living in the UK, the University of London needs to hear from you! The university is currently conducting important research into ethnic minorities and their interest in politics, both domestic and in their ‘homelands’. The research is open to everyone of Turkish Cypriot […]
