Greek Cypriot refers to the Greek-speaking population of Cyprus. They form the island's largest ethnic community, nearly 80 percent of the population, with the second largest ethnic community being the Turkish Cypriots. The Greek Cypriots are mostly Eastern Orthodox Christians, members of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus, an autocephalous church headed by an Archbishop. Descendants of Turks who settled in Cyprus following the Ottoman conquest in 1571. ... Eastern Orthodoxy (also called Greek Orthodoxy and Russian Orthodoxy) is a Christian tradition which represents the majority of Eastern Christianity. ... The ancient Cypriot Orthodox Church is one of the sixteen independent (autocephalous) Eastern Orthodox churches, which are in communion and in doctrinal agreement with one another but not all subject to one patriarch. ...

History

The Greek Cypriots trace their origins to the descendants of the Achaean Greeks and later the Mycenaean Greeks, who settled on the island during the second half of the second millennium B.C. The island gradually became part of the Hellenic world as the settlers prospered over the next centuries. Alexander the Great liberated the island from the Persians in 333 B.C. After the division of the Roman Empire in A.D. 285 Cypriots enjoyed home rule almost nine centuries under the jurisdiction of the Eastern Empire of Byzantium, something not seen again until 1960. Perhaps the most important event of the early Byzantine period was that the Greek Orthodox Church of Cyprus became an independent autocephalous church in 431. This article is about the ancient people of the Achaeans. ... Hellenic may refer to: the Hellenic Republic (the modern Greek state) the Hellenes, itself a term for either ancient or modern Greeks anything related to Greece in general or Ancient Greece in particular. ... Alexander the Great fighting Persian king Darius (not in frame) (Pompeii mosaic, from a 3rd century BC original Greek painting, now lost). ... This article is about the year. ... Byzantine Empire is the term conventionally used to describe the Greek-speaking Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered at its capital in Constantinople. ... Greek Orthodox Church can refer to any of several hierarchical churches within the larger group of mutually recognizing Eastern Orthodox churches: Orthodox Church of Constantinople, headed by the Patriarch of Constantinople, who is also the first among equals of the Eastern Orthodox Communion Church of Greece, which has been autocephalous... The ancient Cypriot Orthodox Church is one of the sixteen independent (autocephalous) Eastern Orthodox churches, which are in communion and in doctrinal agreement with one another but not all subject to one patriarch. ... Events June - Council of Ephesus: Nestorianism is rejected, the Nicene creed is declared to be complete. ...

The Byzantine era profoundly molded Greek Cypriot culture. The Greek Orthodox Christian legacy bestowed on Greek Cypriots in this period would live on during the succeeding centuries of foreign domination. Because Cyprus was never the final goal of any external ambition, but simply fell under the domination of whichever power was dominant in the eastern Mediterranean, destroying its civilization was never a military objective or necessity. The Mediterranean Sea is an intercontinental sea positioned between Europe to the north, Africa to the south and Asia to the east, covering an approximate area of 2. ...

Despite the heavy oppression the period of Ottoman rule (1570-1878) did little to change Greek Cypriot culture outright. The Ottomans tended to administer their multicultural empire with the help of their subject millets, or religious communities. The tolerance of the millet system permitted the Greek Cypriot community to survive, administered for Istanbul by the Archbishop of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus, who became the community's head, or ethnarch. Although tolerant, Ottoman rule was generally harsh and inefficient. Turkish settlers suffered alongside their Greek Cypriot neighbors, and the two groups endured together centuries of oppressive governance from Istanbul. Imperial motto (Ottoman Turkish) Devlet-i Ebed-müddet (the Eternal State) The Ottoman Empire at the height of its power (1683) Official language Ottoman Turkish Capital Bursa (1335 - 1365), Edirne (1365-1453), İstanbul (1453-1922) Imperial anthem Ottoman imperial anthem Sovereigns Padishah of the Osmanli Dynasty Population ca 40... Millet (stress on the e) is an Ottoman Turkish term for a legally protected religious minority. ... Shows the Location of the Province Istanbul The Sultan Ahmed Mosque, Istanbul Istanbul (Turkish: İstanbul) (a Turkish contraction of Greek εις την πολιν into the city, the former Constantinople, Κωνσταντινούπολις) is the largest city in Turkey, and arguably the most important. ... The ancient Cypriot Orthodox Church is one of the sixteen independent (autocephalous) Eastern Orthodox churches, which are in communion and in doctrinal agreement with one another but not all subject to one patriarch. ... Shows the Location of the Province Istanbul The Sultan Ahmed Mosque, Istanbul Istanbul (Turkish: İstanbul) (a Turkish contraction of Greek εις την πολιν into the city, the former Constantinople, Κωνσταντινούπολις) is the largest city in Turkey, and arguably the most important. ...

One interesting legacy is that many Greek Cypriots adopted the Muslim title of "Hadji" (bestowed upon Muslims who have completed the hajj to Makkah) to indicate that they had completed a pilgrimage to a significant Christian religious site. Hence, many Greek Cypriot surnames begin with "Hadji-," for example: the 18th century Dragoman Hadjigeorgakis, whose home is now a museum in Lefkosia. The Hajj or Haj (Arabic: ) is the Pilgrimage to Mecca (Makkah) in Islam. ... Mecca or Makkah (in full: Makkah al-Mukkaramah; Arabic مكة المكرمة) is revered as the holiest site of Islam, and a pilgrimage to it is required of all Muslims who can afford to go. ... Nicosia, Cyprus For the Italian town, see Nicosia, Sicily Nicosia, known locally as Lefkosia (Greek: Λευκωσία; also colloquially Khora,Χώρα see also List of traditional Greek place names) or LefkoÅŸa (Turkish), is the capital and largest city of Cyprus. ...

The concept of enosis -- unification with the Greek "motherland" -- became important to literate Greek Cypriots after Greece gained its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1821. A movement for the realization of enosis gradually formed, in which the Orthodox Church of Cyprus had a dominant role (see "Cyprus dispute"). Prominent issues in Greek foreign policy include a dispute over the name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the enduring Cyprus problem, Greek-Turkish differences over the Aegean, and relations with the USA. The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Greek refusal to recognize the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia... 1821 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Prominent issues in Greek foreign policy include a dispute over the name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the enduring Cyprus problem, Greek-Turkish differences over the Aegean, and relations with the USA. The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Greek refusal to recognize the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia... The ancient Cypriot Orthodox Church is one of the sixteen independent (autocephalous) Eastern Orthodox churches, which are in communion and in doctrinal agreement with one another but not all subject to one patriarch. ... The Cyprus Dispute is the conflict between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots and also Republic of Cyprus and Turkey over Cyprus, an island in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. ...

During British rule (1878-1960), the British brought an efficient colonial administration, but government and education were administered along ethnic lines, accentuating differences. For example, the education system was organized with two Boards of Education, one Greek and one Turkish, controlled by Athens and Istanbul, respectively. The resulting education emphasized linguistic, religious, cultural, and ethnic differences and ignored traditional ties between the two Cypriot communities. The two groups were encouraged to view themselves as extensions of their respective motherlands, and the development of two distinct nationalities with antagonistic loyalties was ensured. The Parthenon seen from the hill of the Pnyx to the west Athens (Greek: Αθήνα Athína IPA ) is the capital of Greece and of the Attica prefecture of Greece. ... Shows the Location of the Province Istanbul The Sultan Ahmed Mosque, Istanbul Istanbul (Turkish: İstanbul) (a Turkish contraction of Greek εις την πολιν into the city, the former Constantinople, Κωνσταντινούπολις) is the largest city in Turkey, and arguably the most important. ...

The importance of religion within the Greek Cypriot community was reinforced when the Archbishop of the Church of Cyprus, Makarios III, was elected the first president of the Republic of Cyprus in 1960. For the next decade and a half, enosis was a key issue for Greek Cypriots, and a key cause of events leading up to 1974 when Turkey invaded and occupied the northern part of the island. The island remains divided today, with the two communities almost completely separated. Many Greek Cypriots, most of which lost their homes, lands and possecions during the Turkish invasion emigrated mainly to the U.K., Australia and Europe. There are today over 200,000 Greek Cypriots emigrants living only in London. Archbishop Makarios III Makarios was the adopted clerical name of Mikhalis Khristodoulou Mouskos (13 August 1913 – 3 August 1977). ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ...

By the early 1990s, Greek Cypriot society enjoyed a high standard of living. Economic modernization created a more flexible and open society and caused Greek Cypriots to share the concerns and hopes of other secularized West European societies. The Republic of Cyprus joined the European Union in 2004, officially representing the entire island, but suspended for the time being in the Turkish occupied north. 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Greek Cypriot Language

The Greek Cypriot language is a dialect distinct from the Greek language (note that different dialects exist on many of the Greek islands) as it is spoken in mainland Greece. It is considered by linguists to be the secondmost differentiated dialect from "standard Greek", after the Pontic Greek dialect spoken by Greek populations on the Black Sea Coast of Anatolia. Although all Cypriots understand mainland Greeks (as the vast majority of Greek language media is produced in mainland Greek), and all Cypriots are taught standard Greek in the Cypriot educational system, the dialect is not always mutually intelligible with the standard variant (both in terms of pronunciation and local idioms). This is particularly true of many of the localized dialects spoken in western Cyprus, around Pafos and in the Troodos mountains. The Cypriot dialect of Greek is spoken by more than half a million people in Cyprus and several hundred thousands abroad. ... Greek (Greek Ελληνικά, IPA – Hellenic) is an Indo-European language with a documented history of 3,500 years. ... Pontus was a name applied in ancient times to extensive tracts of country in the northeast of Asia Minor (modern Turkey) bordering on the Euxine (Black Sea), which was often called simply Pontos (the Main), by the Greeks. ... Asia Minor lies east of the Bosporus, between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. ... Paphos castle Image:Paphos. ...

The Greek Cypriot language is a source of pride for the Greek Cypriot population - many Greek Cypriots consider the dialect to be closer to the Classical Greek language than standard Greek, thus providing a direct linkage between Greek Cypriots and noted ancient Greeks such as Homer and Plato. There are, regrettably, few scholarly works in English that explore the Cypriot dialect, probably because it is spoken by a limited number of people. The History of Greece extends back to the arrival of the Greeks in Europe some time before 1500 BC, even though there has only been an independent state called Greece since Turkey, Italy and Libya. ... Bust of Homer in the British Museum For other uses, see Homer (disambiguation). ... Plato Plato (Greek: Πλάτων Plátōn) (ca. ...

In many ways, the Greek Cypriot pride and interest in perpetuating their unique dialect and distinct identity from the mainland Greeks is similar to that of the Turkish Cypriots interest in doing so with the mainland Turkish dialect and population. Descendants of Turks who settled in Cyprus following the Ottoman conquest in 1571. ...