A rare film shot on 8mm colour film offers a unique glimpse of the island in April 1974, just months before the coup and the Turkish invasion that would dramatically change its history and geography.
The footage, published by Aylon Film Archives, was filmed by Nikos Athanasoglou, then aged 29, during a trip to Cyprus with his partner, who later became his wife and was of Cypriot origin.
Journey across a peaceful Cyprus
The film begins at Athens’ former Hellenikon Airport, showing Olympic Airways aircraft before following the flight to Cyprus.
It then moves to Nicosia, featuring the old walled city, the Hadjigeorgakis Kornesios Mansion, the Archbishop’s Palace and the Hilton Nicosia.
Particularly striking are scenes from Makarios Avenue, where shops, traffic and everyday life unfold in the capital, with no visible indication of the events that would transform the island only a few months later.
Famagusta before 1974
The journey continues to areas that would soon come under Turkish control.
The camera captures Bellapais, the Monastery of Apostle Barnabas and the ancient city of Salamis before arriving in Famagusta.
The footage includes Othello Tower, views of the city and scenes from Varosha before it was abandoned in August 1974.
It also features the Pentadaktylos mountain range, accompanied by a later reflection from Athanasoglou.
“We went with a Cypriot friend to Pentadaktylos for a picnic… Who could have imagined that a few months later it would be under Turkish occupation? We were 29 years old.”
Historic record of a lost era
The film also documents Kourion, Petra tou Romiou, Paphos Castle, the city’s famous mosaics and Kykkos Monastery before concluding at Nicosia Airport as the couple departed for Athens.
The footage was recorded in April 1974. On 15 July, a coup was launched against President Archbishop Makarios III, and on 20 July, Turkey began its military invasion of Cyprus.
More than five decades later, what began as a personal travel film has become a valuable historical record, preserving rare colour images of Cyprus before one of the most significant turning points in the island’s modern history.
Also read: Rare 2,500-year-old Cypriot coin found on Israeli beach
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