People appear at streets of the abandoned town in Closed Maras (or Varosha in Greek) after the city reopened for public use after 46 years in Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) on October 8, 2020. Some part of the public owned beach of the town and Demokrasi Street will be opened to the public as of tomorrow morning, after 46 years. ( Muhammet İkbal Arslan - Anadolu Agency )
GAZIMAGUSA, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
The abandoned town of Maras in the Turkish Cypriot city of Gazimagusa partially reopened for public use on Thursday.
Around 200 visitors came before the opening at 12.00 p.m. local time (0900 GMT), according to an Anadolu Agency correspondent in the field.
The visitors were allowed to a public street called Demokrasi and a part of the coastline of the town, which is within the borders of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and has been closed for 46 years.
Prime Minister Ersin Tatar also visited Maras during the event, touring the reopened areas along with other officials.
At the entrance, the visitors were asked to keep social distance and wear masks due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Maras had so far been a ghost town where entry was forbidden, except for Turkish army personnel stationed in the TRNC.
The TRNC had announced the opening of Maras to tourists in 2019.
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