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Varosha (Greek: Βαρώσι, romanized: Varósi, locally ; Turkish: Maraş or Kapalı Maraş) is the southern quarter of Famagusta, a de jure territory of Cyprus, currently under the control of Northern Cyprus.

Varosha had a population of 226 in the 2011 Northern Cyprus census. The area of Varosha is 6.19 km2 (2.39 sq mi).

The name of Varosha derives from the Turkish word varoş (Ottoman Turkish: واروش, 'suburb').

In the early 1970s, Famagusta was the top tourist destination in Cyprus. Before 1974, Varosha was the modern tourist area of the Famagusta city. Its Greek Cypriot inhabitants fled during the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974, when the city of Famagusta came under Turkish control, and it has remained abandoned ever since. Entry to part of Varosha was opened to civilians in 2017.

In August 1974, the Turkish Army advanced as far as the Green Line, a UN-patrolled demilitarized zone between the Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, and controlled and fenced Varosha. Just hours before the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Armies met in combat on the streets of Famagusta, the entire Greek Cypriot population fled to Paralimni, Dherynia and Larnaca.

Kennedy Avenue, a street that ran from close to the port of Famagusta, through Varosha and parallel to Glossa beach.

According to Greek Cypriots, 425 plots exist on the Varosha beach front, which extends from the Contandia hotel to the Golden Sands hotel.

In 2019, the Government of Northern Cyprus announced it would open Varosha to settlement. On 14 November 2019, Ersin Tatar, the prime minister of Northern Cyprus, announced that Northern Cyprus aims to open Varosha by the end of 2020. On 25 July 2019, Varosha Inventory Commission of Northern Cyprus started its inventory analysis on the buildings and other infrastructure in Varosha. On 9 December 2019, Ibrahim Benter, the Director-General of the Turkish Cypriot EVKAF religious foundation's administration, declared all of Varosha to be the property of EVKAF. On 15 February 2020, the Turkish Bar Association organised a round table meeting at the Sandy Beach Hotel in Varosha, which was attended by Turkish officials (Vice-President Fuat Oktay and Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gül), Turkish Cypriot officials, representatives of the Turkish Cypriot religious foundation Evkaf, and Turkish and Turkish Cypriot lawyers. On 22 February 2020, Cyprus declared it would veto European Union funds to Turkish Cypriots if Varosha were opened to settlement. On 6 October 2020, Ersin Tatar, the Prime Minister of Northern Cyprus, announced that the beach area of Varosha would reopen to the public on 8 October 2020. On 8 October 2020, parts of Varosha were opened from the Officers' Club of Turkish and Turkish Cypriot Army to the Golden Sands Hotel. On 19 May 2022, Northern Cyprus opened a 600 m by 400 m wide stretch of beach on the Golden Sands beach (from the King George Hotel to the Oceania Building) in Varosha for commercial use. The United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus said it would raise the decision taken by the Turkish Cypriot authorities to open that stretch of beach in Varosha with the Security Council, as the spokesperson Aleem Siddique said on Friday. He outlined the significant political and economic benefits Varosha had brought to Northern Cyprus (2.2 million people have visited Varosha since its opening, with 90% of tourists making it a priority to visit Varosha) and that the reopening of Varosha was also significant for the Blue Homeland. He added, "(Northern Cyprus) As an independent Turkish state in the Mediterranean and the southernmost representative of the Turkish world, the opening of Varosha under our sovereignty has served as a major contribution to the Turkish world". Being a new tourist hotspot in Northern Cyprus, Varosha was visited by nearly 5 million people by the end of 2025.

Quick Facts

• Varosha had a population of 226 in the 2011 Northern Cyprus census.
• The area of Varosha is 6.19 km2 (2.39 sq mi).
• Its Greek Cypriot inhabitants fled during the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974, when the city of Famagusta came under Turkish control, and it has remained abandoned ever since.
• Before 1974, Varosha was the modern tourist area of the Famagusta city.
• On 8 October 2020, parts of Varosha were opened from the Officers' Club of Turkish and Turkish Cypriot Army to the Golden Sands Hotel.

Source material: Wikipedia - "Varosha, Famagusta". Adapted and summarized for DiscoverScroll. Original contributors are credited through the linked Wikipedia article. Read original on Wikipedia. CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes were made from the original.