I decided to officially archive this blog on the day my DPhil was confirmed. But I have waited for the electronic publication of my thesis, Interrogating Archaeological Ethics in Conflict Zones: Cultural Heritage Work in Cyprus, to announce the archiving. From now on, I will blog at Conflict Antiquities.

Rizokarpaso/Dipkarpaz: cultural heritage and community

[Thanks to Dave S's comment on the Evretou photo blog, I will try to give each site photo blog a proper introduction; until then, I'll cross-post the introductory posts from Cultural Heritage in Conflict.]

I've just posted photos of destroyed Greek Cypriot homes on Rizokarpaso: cultural heritage and community.

The ruins were not propaganda. UNFICYP 'confirmed... and protested' against the demolition (UNSG, 2007: 6 – Para. 28), and the New Cyprus Party defined it as a 'destruction policy' (Kanatlı, 2007). I cannot explain better than Turkish Cypriot Afrika journalist Murat Kanatlı (2007):

If the Maronites and Greek Cypriots did not return to their homes after a certain period (this was 6 months) their houses would be taken over. This is a big violation of human rights and this procedure is still continuing....

Under the pretext of renovation and cleaning up in the village, with the help of the military, some Greek Cypriot houses which have historical and cultural value are being destroyed or damaged severely. Permission was not given to 8 families who wanted to return....

[T]he aim is for Greek Cypriots from Rizokarpaso to be chased away from Rizokarpaso completely and their marks to be wiped out completely.

Recording Greek Cypriot 'marks', and the attempt to destroy them and the memory of them, is all I can do to help to preserve Cypriot memory and community.

Kanatlı, M. 2007: "YKP: 'We are worried about developments in Rizokarpaso (Dipkarpaz)'". Yeni Kıbrıs Partisi, 20th May. Available at: http://www.ykp.org.cy/index_eng.php?subaction=showfull&id=1179675986&archive=&start_from=&ucat=6&

UNSG (United Nations Secretary-General). 2007: Report of the Secretary-General on the peacekeeping operation in Cyprus [S/2007/328, 4th June 2007]. New York: United Nations Security Council. Available at: http://www.securitycouncilreport.org/atf/cf/%7B65BFCF9B-6D27-4E9C-8CD3-CF6E4FF96FF9%7D/Cyprus%20S2007%20328.pdf

[This note was also posted over on samarkeolog.]

[This was originally posted on Cultural Heritage in Conflict on 23rd May 2009.]

Rizokarpaso building 7e: another ruined wall, another rubble pile. This was the view from across the street; the doorway is just out of shot to the left.

Rizokarpaso building 7d: this used to be the interior of this house.

Apart from the stones that form the "retaining wall" for the debris, stones and other waste are mixed with soil and dust; they are also against the wall, rather than spread out, scattered. I believe this indicates the land was cleared (and the stones and soil mixed as they were being cleared and left against the standing front wall).

Rizokarpaso building 7c: this is all that remains of the entrance to door number 14. Peculiarly, some of the stones from the destroyed parts of the home have been stacked to abut the doorway. Perhaps they're there to act as a retaining wall, to keep the rubble in and against the wall.

Rizokarpaso building 7b: this is the view from the street, through the surviving window frame, into the "interior"; but now the interior is exterior, rubble, ruin.

The Greek Cypriot administration explained that, on top of the 80 demolished homes,

many others have been paint-marked by the Turkish forces for oncoming demolition.... [A]fter the houses of the Greek Cypriots are demolished, the plots of land are offered to settlers from mainland Turkey, in addition to financial assistance for the construction of new houses (ROCPRUN, 2007: 1).

This is not propaganda: UNFICYP 'confirmed... and protested' against the demolition (UNSG, 2007: 6 - Para. 28), and the New Cyprus Party defined it as a 'destruction policy' (Kanatlı, 2007).

Tragically, Rizokarpaso building 7a was very good evidence: not only was it destroyed, but also its X-mark for destruction was still visible on some of the standing remains.


Rizokarpaso building 7a1


Rizokarpaso building 7a2

Kanatlı, M. 2007: "YKP: 'We are worried about developments in Rizokarpaso (Dipkarpaz)'". Yeni Kıbrıs Partisi, 20th May. Available at: http://www.ykp.org.cy/index_eng.php?subaction=showfull&id=1179675986&archive=&start_from=&ucat=6&

ROCPRUN (Republic of Cyprus Permanent Representative to the United Nations). 2007: Letter dated 22 June 2007 from the Permanent Representative of Cyprus to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General [S/2007/377, 22nd June 2007]. New York: United Nations Security Council. Available at: http://daccess-ods.un.org/access.nsf/Get?Open&DS=A/61/964&Lang=E

UNSG (United Nations Secretary-General). 2007: Report of the Secretary-General on the peacekeeping operation in Cyprus [S/2007/328, 4th June 2007]. New York: United Nations Security Council. Available at: http://www.securitycouncilreport.org/atf/cf/%7B65BFCF9B-6D27-4E9C-8CD3-CF6E4FF96FF9%7D/Cyprus%20S2007%20328.pdf

Rizokarpaso building 6: unfortunately, one pile of rubble looks very much like another.

Worse, I took all of these photographs quickly, while worrying about police and nationalists seeing me taking the photos, so I didn't have the best fixed memories of each place; still, I don't think this is the same rubble as building 7...

Rizokarpaso building 5: I found this building in the middle of collapse, and couldn't tell whether it had suffered natural decay or deliberate damage. It could have been damaged, then decayed.

Part of the problem with studying and interpreting this material is that different processes can produce similar results, so when you find the results (e.g. the ruins of a building), you cannot always tell what processes caused them (e.g. decay or damage).

Another part of the problem is that a first process can be followed by a second, which disguises or disrupts evidence of the first; so, the building may have been damaged first, then it may have decayed, and the decay might have covered or contaminated the evidence of the damage.

Rizokarpaso building 4: when I photographed this cleared land and its piled masonry and brick rubble, Turkish settlers drove past, saw me, then drove around and past me again, shaking their fists and warning me 'çekme, çekme [don't take (a photograph)]!'

Rizokarpaso building 3b: this alignment of stones forms the line of a wall, and there are no borders or boundary walls like this in the village, so it suggests that there used to be a building here.

Rizokarpaso building 3a: this looks like a simple expanse of land with a confusing spread or scatter of stones.

Rizokarpaso building 2b: I took this photograph standing about where the building used to be; this rubble is all that remains.

Rizokarpaso building 2a: the lighter area in front of the rubble is where the building used to be.

Rizokarpaso buildings 1: cleared plots of land