IN-PERSON Barcelona. Section B
Abstract
Cyprus is an island in the Mediterranean Sea that is situated at a junction of significant axes between Asia, Europe, and Africa. Considering its strategic importance in the Mediterranean Sea, the island of Cyprus has been ruled by various rulers throughout history, and the traces left by these civilizations create the heritage of the island. This study will focus on the British Colonial Period (1878-1960) in Cyprus as one of the most influential periods for the island’s existing situation. British Empire can be seen as one of the largest colonizing powers, controlling a quarter of the world’s lands at its peak. Railways are a common characteristic that can be observed in British colonies and were very important for building an effective transportation system both locally and globally. Cyprus Government Railways (CGR) which was established in 1905, represents the only railroad transportation in the island’s history. Introduced with great hopes, eroded with heavy usage during the wars and limited maintenance, forced to close by the competition with road transportation in 1951. Despite its closure nearly 73 years ago, the remains of CGR are considered an important part of the island’s heritage and deserve further studies for better understanding. This study will focus on the factors affecting the route formation of CGR and the effect of CGR on the urban development and architectural language of its surroundings to determine the architectural and cultural values that survived from the railways.
Keywords: Cyprus, railways, colonialism, heritage
Hasan Debeş is a determined researcher who was born in Famagusta in 1995. He completed his bachelor’s degree in Architecture at Eastern Mediterranean University in 2017. In 2019 he completed his master’s degree in Sustainable Architecture and Landscape Design at Polytechnic Milano in Italy. He participated international workshops such as MEDS, Open City Summer School, and Smart Cities Workshop in Italy, to promote his practical and theoretical knowledge and experience. He is currently working as an administrative research assistant at EMU and pursuing his Ph.D. in architecture.
Dr. Ozgur Dincyurek was born in Famagusta in 1974. He is currently a Full Professor of Architecture at Eastern Mediterranean University. He has a MS in Architecture Program and Ph.D. in Architectural Design History and Theory. His specific areas of expertise are architectural design, environmental design, sustainability, and vernacular architecture studies. Besides his academic works, he has been awarded by Fulbright Short term Training Scholarship (1999), Fulbright Visiting Scholarship (2008) and the European Commission Scholarship for the Turkish Cypriot Programme (2009). He is the founding chair of INTBAU Cyprus Chapter. He is also a voting member of INTBAU College of Chapters.
1:30 pm - 3:00 pm
Wednesday 17th July, 2024