Hasan Yucelen’s Book

Hasan Yücelen “Mudaho” Akıncılar (Luricina) Turks’ Hundred Years of Existence Struggle Dear readers / site guests, this page has been compiled without any changes from the book written by Hasan Yücelen as a result of his research on our village, and prepared to share with our villagers and you. As can be clearly seen below, this research is very comprehensive and high quality! Our esteemed elder Hasan Abi, despite being ill, has shown great devotion and has allowed us to share with you the information in the book he wrote as a result of extensive research. We would like to thank Hasan Abi once again in your presence, and hope that his support for this project will set an example for others. With this exemplary behavior, he has increased the love and respect for him even more. I wish Hasan Abi a speedy recovery, and many long and healthy years.

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This page is dedicated to the research of Hasan Yücelen ‘Mudaho’. Everything on this page is from his own book in his own words. His dedication in researching every aspect of Lurucina’s history is self-evident and deserves respect. I hope that people who have not had the good fortune to find his book, published in March 2006 and printed by Ates Matbaacilik Ltd, will now have an opportunity to read part of his research on this page. Hopefully with the passage of time there will be more to expand on the contents of his book. I hope everyone enjoys reading Hasan’s book as much as I have.Sadly while I write this page, Hasan’s health is not in good shape. I would like to wish him and his family the best of good health and happiness, and above all a speedy recovery. Last but not least a massive thank you for the time and effort he put into helping us all learn and understand our past history and heritage.

Ismail Veli ‘Kirlapo’ 8 October 2012

Hasan Yucelen ‘Mudaho’ The Centuries-Long Struggle for Existence of the Akincilar (Lurucina) Turks Migration Wave Towards Village. Page 26

It is clear that between 1804 and 1806, many Turks lost their lives and emigrated due to the uprising of the Turks living in the rural areas of Cyprus, namely the villages, against the heavy taxes imposed by the Church and the interpreter with the approval of the Ottoman Governor. Furthermore, if we take into account that a two-year period had passed after the uprising to re-establish public order, it is not difficult to understand what punishment was applied to those who were considered rebels. It is not possible to isolate Lurucina from this uprising and heavy loss of life. The information above mentions that people known as Linobambaki lived in the village of Lurucina. Therefore, it can be understood that people of this belief were killed or exiled from the region. The cruelty that the Ottoman army used against those considered rebels during the suppression of the uprising is well known. For example, what happened to a major named Altıparmak, originally from Sinde (İnönü), who took part in the suppression of this uprising and later regretted the cruelty inflicted on the Turks and returned to Cyprus with 70 musketeers to take revenge, and was captured in the meantime, and what happened during that period are instructive.

Major Altıparmak of Sindeli (Inönü)

Page 27-28 The full translation of the information on page 383 of the 9th volume of the Great Cyprus Encyclopedia is below.

Altıparmak is one of the brave warriors of a paramilitary gendarmerie unit of Cyprus, which was used by the Turkish Cypriot authorities (Governor) and the Greek Cypriot authorities (Archbishopric) to suppress the uprising of the Turkish Cypriots, probably the Greeks and especially the Linobambakis residing in the villages, against the Dragoman (interpreter) and other authorities between 1804-1805. According to the records of the Archbishopric on page 15 of page xx 1, Altıparmak received six silver coins in the form of salary or reward on August 7, 1804, together with another brave man named Bezirganoğlu. Altıparmak was a major in Tarsus in 1806 and it seems that Abidin Pasha, who came to the island on the initiative of Kornesios, who arranged for the sending of troops from Asia Minor to Cyprus, appointed him to this position. In mid-May 1806, he returned to Cyprus with 70 foreign fellaheen and set foot on the island from the Karpaz coast. There, he was joined by other tyrants. His aim was to become the leader of the fanatic Turkish Cypriots who were lashing out at those who were said to have been ‘moved’ by the Greeks and especially the Bishops against the Turks and Linobambakis in Cyprus between 1804-1805. These movements in question were the suppression of the uprising of the Turkish Cypriots and Linobambakis with the participation of Altıparmak and other brave men. Many rebels were killed during the suppression of the uprising. The remorseful tyrant of Sinde, who had received the church’s salary to fight on behalf of the Archbishopric, the Turkish aghas and the Turkish Governor two years earlier, now came to take revenge. However, he now believes that the Turks who were killed were the victims of the Greeks who convinced the Turkish leaders to suppress the uprising bloodily. Altıparmak was probably repentant for his activities in 1804-1805 and may have been influenced by other fanatic Turks. In any case, he was caught and his end was tragic. He was flayed alive. Despite the escalating racial (inter-communal) hatred as a result of the events of 1804-1805, even at that time the Turkish-Greek authorities were in close cooperation. The article continues by stating that El Hacı Hüseyin Efendi, who was appointed Governor of Cyprus from July 1805 to July 1806, came to Istanbul as a result of Kornesios’s special initiatives. It is recorded that these events triggered the killing of the Greek clergy and other prominent Greeks in 1821 and marked the beginning of the conflict between the Turkish and Greek communities that has continued to this day. It is not difficult to understand what happened to the residents of Lurucina, who were considered Linobambaki, during the brutal suppression of the rebellion.Therefore, it is concluded that the people of this belief living in the village after 1804 were either destroyed or fled and hid in other places. Page 28-30 After the storm passed, we see that a wave of migration towards Lurucina began. Today’s Akıncılar people almost know where their ancestors came from. The information that has been passed down from generation to generation is beyond dispute. Yusuf Yusuf (Yusuflar), a villager from Akıncılar who still lives in Australia, has conducted a very long and detailed study on the origins of the villagers from those older than him and from the land registry office since 1940. Yusuf Yusuf, who was born on July 17, 1920, graduated from the 8-year Rüştü School and worked as a lawyer’s clerk in Lefkoşa from 1939 to 1977, said that he planned to publish the information he compiled in a book, but when he heard that I was preparing a book about the village, he gladly gave me this information. The information received from Yusuf Yusuf is confirmed by the information received from İsmail Barbaros, aged 67, who has knowledge on the same subject, and Hüseyin Bendaşan, aged 54, who is young but has great knowledge on these subjects. According to the information given, it is understood that the family heads, who constitute almost 90% of the Akıncılar villagers, migrated to the village 8 generations ago, in other words, approximately two hundred years ago. The names of these family heads, where they came from and the families that continue them are as follows. Yusuf Mustafa (Kırlangıç, Şiliono) settled in Lurucina from Pirga village of Larnaka 8 generations ago. He had a son named Mustafa in the village. He had a son known as Hasan Arap. Hasan had 8 sons and 3 daughters named Osman, Yusuf, Said, Rüstem, Hüseyin, Mehmet, Mustafa, Necip. He was married twice. The author of the book is Necip’s grandson. A person named Mehmet Said also came to the village from Silifke, Türkiye and settled there during the same period. His family in the village are (Katsuralar, Kanseller, Bosniaks, Ali Kaliler and Sakallı. The person named ”Birini” came from Vuda village and settled. His family in the village are Osman Birini, Yusuf Yıldırım and Karayeller (Karaeler). İbrahim Karavoli came from Köfünye. His relatives in the village are Coşkun, İbrahim Gangrello, Mustafa Çağataylı and Tozlar (Tozziler). Mehmed Kadri’ni came from Dali, it is said that he came from the Aegean region before. His relatives in the village are Bedasisler, Bendaşanlar, Pekris, Kaçarlar, Tavşanlar (Lao), Barbaroslar, Cufoğulları and Koca İsmailler. Sarı Mehmet Hürrem Bey came from Antalya. His relatives in the village are Gaziler, Mullalar, Böyleler, Göksanlar. Mehmet Ali came from Porto Dali and settled. His relatives in the village are Efeler (Gürsoy), Takkalar, Tunceliler, Azginlar, Aligünniler, Bedeler. Bayram Cidari came from Dali. His relatives in the village, İzzet Küfiler, Ahamadis, Pasholar. Sarı Mustafa Tahura came from Türkiye, his relatives in the village, Veci, Giço, and Kanulli.Today’s Akıncılar people almost know where their ancestors came from. The information that has been passed down from generation to generation is beyond dispute. Yusuf Yusuf (Yusuflar), a villager from Akıncılar who currently lives in Australia, has conducted a very long and detailed study on the origins of the villagers since 1940 from those older than him and from the land registry office. Yusuf Yusuf, who was born on July 17, 1920, graduated from the eight-year Rüştü School and worked as a lawyer’s clerk in Lefkoşa from 1939 to 1977, said that he planned to publish the information he compiled in a book, but when he heard that I was preparing a book about the village, he gladly gave me this information. The information received from Yusuf Yusuf is confirmed by the information received from İsmail Barbaros, aged 67, who has knowledge on the same subject, and Hüseyin Bendaşan, aged 54, who is young but has great knowledge on these subjects. According to the information given, it is understood that the family heads, who constitute almost 90% of the Akıncılar villagers, migrated to the village 8 generations ago, in other words, approximately two hundred years ago. The names of these family heads, where they came from and the families that continue them are as follows. Yusuf Mustafa (Kırlangıç, Şiliono) settled in Lurucina from Pirga village of Larnaka 8 generations ago. He had a son named Mustafa in the village. He had a son known as Hasan Arap. Hasan had 8 sons and 3 daughters named Osman, Yusuf, Said, Rüstem, Hüseyin, Mehmet, Mustafa, Necip. He was married twice. The author of the book is Necip’s grandson. A person named Mehmet Said also came to the village from Silifke, Türkiye and settled there during the same period. His family in the village are (Katsuralar, Kanseller, Bosniaks, Ali Kaliler and Sakallı. The person named ”Birini” came from Vuda village and settled. His family in the village are Osman Birini, Yusuf Yıldırım and Karayeller (Karaeler). İbrahim Karavoli came from Köfünye. His relatives in the village are Coşkun, İbrahim Gangrello, Mustafa Çağataylı and Tozlar (Tozziler). Mehmed Kadri’ni came from Dali, it is said that he came from the Aegean region before. His relatives in the village are Bedasisler, Bendaşanlar, Pekris, Kaçarlar, Tavşanlar (Lao), Barbaroslar, Cufoğulları and Koca İsmailler. Sarı Mehmet Hürrem Bey came from Antalya. His relatives in the village are Gaziler, Mullalar, Böyleler, Göksanlar. Mehmet Ali came from Porto Dali and settled. His relatives in the village are Efeler (Gürsoy), Takkalar, Tunceliler, Azginlar, Aligünniler, Bedeler. Bayram Cidari came from Dali. His relatives in the village, İzzet Küfiler, Ahamadis, Pasholar. Sarı Mustafa Tahura came from Türkiye, his relatives in the village, Veci, Giço, and Kanulli.Today’s Akıncılar people almost know where their ancestors came from. The information that has been passed down from generation to generation is beyond dispute. Yusuf Yusuf (Yusuflar), a villager from Akıncılar who currently lives in Australia, has conducted a very long and detailed study on the origins of the villagers since 1940 from those older than him and from the land registry office. Yusuf Yusuf, who was born on July 17, 1920, graduated from the eight-year Rüştü School and worked as a lawyer’s clerk in Lefkoşa from 1939 to 1977, said that he planned to publish the information he compiled in a book, but when he heard that I was preparing a book about the village, he gladly gave me this information. The information received from Yusuf Yusuf is confirmed by the information received from İsmail Barbaros, aged 67, who has knowledge on the same subject, and Hüseyin Bendaşan, aged 54, who is young but has great knowledge on these subjects. According to the information given, it is understood that the family heads, who constitute almost 90% of the Akıncılar villagers, migrated to the village 8 generations ago, in other words, approximately two hundred years ago. The names of these family heads, where they came from and the families that continue them are as follows. Yusuf Mustafa (Kırlangıç, Şiliono) settled in Lurucina from Pirga village of Larnaka 8 generations ago. He had a son named Mustafa in the village. He had a son known as Hasan Arap. Hasan had 8 sons and 3 daughters named Osman, Yusuf, Said, Rüstem, Hüseyin, Mehmet, Mustafa, Necip. He was married twice. The author of the book is Necip’s grandson. A person named Mehmet Said also came to the village from Silifke, Türkiye and settled there during the same period. His family in the village are (Katsuralar, Kanseller, Bosniaks, Ali Kaliler and Sakallı. The person named ”Birini” came from Vuda village and settled. His family in the village are Osman Birini, Yusuf Yıldırım and Karayeller (Karaeler). İbrahim Karavoli came from Köfünye. His relatives in the village are Coşkun, İbrahim Gangrello, Mustafa Çağataylı and Tozlar (Tozziler). Mehmed Kadri’ni came from Dali, it is said that he came from the Aegean region before. His relatives in the village are Bedasisler, Bendaşanlar, Pekris, Kaçarlar, Tavşanlar (Lao), Barbaroslar, Cufoğulları and Koca İsmailler. Sarı Mehmet Hürrem Bey came from Antalya. His relatives in the village are Gaziler, Mullalar, Böyleler, Göksanlar. Mehmet Ali came from Porto Dali and settled. His relatives in the village are Efeler (Gürsoy), Takkalar, Tunceliler, Azginlar, Aligünniler, Bedeler. Bayram Cidari came from Dali. His relatives in the village, İzzet Küfiler, Ahamadis, Pasholar. Sarı Mustafa Tahura came from Türkiye, his relatives in the village, Veci, Giço, and Kanulli.Yusuf Yusuf (Yusuflar), a villager from Akıncılar who still lives in Australia, has conducted a very long and detailed study on the origins of the village residents since 1940 from those older than him and from the land registry office. Yusuf Yusuf, who was born on July 17, 1920, graduated from the 8-year Rüştü School and worked as a lawyer’s clerk in Nicosia from 1939 to 1977, said that he planned to publish the information he compiled in a book, but when he heard that I was preparing a book about the village, he gladly gave me this information. The information received from Yusuf Yusuf is confirmed by the information received from İsmail Barbaros, aged 67, who has knowledge on the same subject, and Hüseyin Bendaşan, aged 54, who is young but has great knowledge on these subjects. According to the information given, it is understood that the heads of families, who constitute almost 90% of the Akıncılar villagers, migrated to the village 8 generations ago, in other words, approximately two hundred years ago. The names of these heads of families, where they came from and the families that continued them are as follows. Yusuf Mustafa (Swallow, Şiliono) settled in Lurucina from Pirga village of Larnaka 8 generations ago. He had a son named Mustafa in the village. He had a son known as Hasan Arap. Hasan had 8 sons and 3 daughters named Osman, Yusuf, Said, Rüstem, Hüseyin, Mehmet, Mustafa, Necip. He was married twice. The author of the book is Necip’s grandson. Mehmet Said also came from Silifke Türkiye and settled in the village during the same period. His family in the village are (Katsuralar, Kanseller, Bosniaks, Ali Kaliler and Sakallı. The person named ”Birini” came from Vuda village and settled. His family in the village are Osman Birini, Yusuf Yıldırım and Karayeller (Karaeler). İbrahim Karavoli came from Köfünye. His relatives in the village are Coşkun, İbrahim Gangrello, Mustafa Çağataylı and Tozlar (Tozziler). Mehmed Kadri’ni came from Dali, it is said that he came from the Aegean region before. His relatives in the village are Bedasisler, Bendaşanlar, Pekris, Kaçarlar, Tavşanlar (Lao), Barbaroslar, Cufoğulları and Koca İsmailler. Sarı Mehmet Hürrem Bey came from Antalya. His relatives in the village are Gaziler, Mullalar, Böyleler, Göksanlar. Mehmet Ali came from Porto Dali and settled. His relatives in the village are Efeler (Gürsoy), Takkalar, Tunceliler, Azginlar, Aligünniler, Bedeler. Bayram Cidari came from Dali. His relatives in the village, İzzet Küfiler, Ahamadis, Pasholar. Sarı Mustafa Tahura came from Türkiye, his relatives in the village, Veci, Giço, and Kanulli.Yusuf Yusuf (Yusuflar), a villager from Akıncılar who still lives in Australia, has conducted a very long and detailed study on the origins of the village residents since 1940 from those older than him and from the land registry office. Yusuf Yusuf, who was born on July 17, 1920, graduated from the 8-year Rüştü School and worked as a lawyer’s clerk in Nicosia from 1939 to 1977, said that he planned to publish the information he compiled in a book, but when he heard that I was preparing a book about the village, he gladly gave me this information. The information received from Yusuf Yusuf is confirmed by the information received from İsmail Barbaros, aged 67, who has knowledge on the same subject, and Hüseyin Bendaşan, aged 54, who is young but has great knowledge on these subjects. According to the information given, it is understood that the heads of families, who constitute almost 90% of the Akıncılar villagers, migrated to the village 8 generations ago, in other words, approximately two hundred years ago. The names of these heads of families, where they came from and the families that continued them are as follows. Yusuf Mustafa (Swallow, Şiliono) settled in Lurucina from Pirga village of Larnaka 8 generations ago. He had a son named Mustafa in the village. He had a son known as Hasan Arap. Hasan had 8 sons and 3 daughters named Osman, Yusuf, Said, Rüstem, Hüseyin, Mehmet, Mustafa, Necip. He was married twice. The author of the book is Necip’s grandson. Mehmet Said also came from Silifke Türkiye and settled in the village during the same period. His family in the village are (Katsuralar, Kanseller, Bosniaks, Ali Kaliler and Sakallı. The person named ”Birini” came from Vuda village and settled. His family in the village are Osman Birini, Yusuf Yıldırım and Karayeller (Karaeler). İbrahim Karavoli came from Köfünye. His relatives in the village are Coşkun, İbrahim Gangrello, Mustafa Çağataylı and Tozlar (Tozziler). Mehmed Kadri’ni came from Dali, it is said that he came from the Aegean region before. His relatives in the village are Bedasisler, Bendaşanlar, Pekris, Kaçarlar, Tavşanlar (Lao), Barbaroslar, Cufoğulları and Koca İsmailler. Sarı Mehmet Hürrem Bey came from Antalya. His relatives in the village are Gaziler, Mullalar, Böyleler, Göksanlar. Mehmet Ali came from Porto Dali and settled. His relatives in the village are Efeler (Gürsoy), Takkalar, Tunceliler, Azginlar, Aligünniler, Bedeler. Bayram Cidari came from Dali. His relatives in the village, İzzet Küfiler, Ahamadis, Pasholar. Sarı Mustafa Tahura came from Türkiye, his relatives in the village, Veci, Giço, and Kanulli.The information received from Yusuf Yusuf is confirmed by the information received from İsmail Barbaros, aged 67, who has knowledge on the same subject, and Hüseyin Bendaşan, aged 54, who is young but has great knowledge on these subjects. According to the information given, it is understood that the family heads, who constitute almost 90% of the Akıncılar villagers, migrated to the village 8 generations ago, in other words, approximately two hundred years ago. The names of these family heads, where they came from and the families that continue them are as follows. Yusuf Mustafa (Kırlangıç, Şiliono) settled in Lurucina from Pirga village of Larnaka 8 generations ago. He had a son named Mustafa in the village. He had a son known as Hasan Arap. Hasan had 8 sons and 3 daughters named Osman, Yusuf, Said, Rüstem, Hüseyin, Mehmet, Mustafa, Necip. He was married twice. The author of the book is Necip’s grandson. A person named Mehmet Said also came to the village from Silifke, Türkiye and settled there during the same period. His family in the village are (Katsuralar, Kanseller, Bosniaks, Ali Kaliler and Sakallı. The person named ”Birini” came from Vuda village and settled. His family in the village are Osman Birini, Yusuf Yıldırım and Karayeller (Karaeler). İbrahim Karavoli came from Köfünye. His relatives in the village are Coşkun, İbrahim Gangrello, Mustafa Çağataylı and Tozlar (Tozziler). Mehmed Kadri’ni came from Dali, it is said that he came from the Aegean region before. His relatives in the village are Bedasisler, Bendaşanlar, Pekris, Kaçarlar, Tavşanlar (Lao), Barbaroslar, Cufoğulları and Koca İsmailler. Sarı Mehmet Hürrem Bey came from Antalya. His relatives in the village are Gaziler, Mullalar, Böyleler, Göksanlar. Mehmet Ali came from Porto Dali and settled. His relatives in the village are Efeler (Gürsoy), Takkalar, Tunceliler, Azginlar, Aligünniler, Bedeler. Bayram Cidari came from Dali. His relatives in the village, İzzet Küfiler, Ahamadis, Pasholar. Sarı Mustafa Tahura came from Türkiye, his relatives in the village, Veci, Giço, and Kanulli.The information received from Yusuf Yusuf is confirmed by the information received from İsmail Barbaros, aged 67, who has knowledge on the same subject, and Hüseyin Bendaşan, aged 54, who is young but has great knowledge on these subjects. According to the information given, it is understood that the family heads, who constitute almost 90% of the Akıncılar villagers, migrated to the village 8 generations ago, in other words, approximately two hundred years ago. The names of these family heads, where they came from and the families that continue them are as follows. Yusuf Mustafa (Kırlangıç, Şiliono) settled in Lurucina from Pirga village of Larnaka 8 generations ago. He had a son named Mustafa in the village. He had a son known as Hasan Arap. Hasan had 8 sons and 3 daughters named Osman, Yusuf, Said, Rüstem, Hüseyin, Mehmet, Mustafa, Necip. He was married twice. The author of the book is Necip’s grandson. A person named Mehmet Said also came to the village from Silifke, Türkiye and settled there during the same period. His family in the village are (Katsuralar, Kanseller, Bosniaks, Ali Kaliler and Sakallı. The person named ”Birini” came from Vuda village and settled. His family in the village are Osman Birini, Yusuf Yıldırım and Karayeller (Karaeler). İbrahim Karavoli came from Köfünye. His relatives in the village are Coşkun, İbrahim Gangrello, Mustafa Çağataylı and Tozlar (Tozziler). Mehmed Kadri’ni came from Dali, it is said that he came from the Aegean region before. His relatives in the village are Bedasisler, Bendaşanlar, Pekris, Kaçarlar, Tavşanlar (Lao), Barbaroslar, Cufoğulları and Koca İsmailler. Sarı Mehmet Hürrem Bey came from Antalya. His relatives in the village are Gaziler, Mullalar, Böyleler, Göksanlar. Mehmet Ali came from Porto Dali and settled. His relatives in the village are Efeler (Gürsoy), Takkalar, Tunceliler, Azginlar, Aligünniler, Bedeler. Bayram Cidari came from Dali. His relatives in the village, İzzet Küfiler, Ahamadis, Pasholar. Sarı Mustafa Tahura came from Türkiye, his relatives in the village, Veci, Giço, and Kanulli.His family in the village are Osman Birini, Yusuf Yıldırım and Karayeller (Karaeler). İbrahim Karavoli came from Köfünye. His relatives in the village are Coşkun, İbrahim Gangrello, Mustafa Çağataylı and Tozlar (Tozziler). Mehmed Kadri’ni came from Dali, it is said that he came from the Aegean region before. His relatives in the village are Bedasıler, Bendaşanlar, Pekriler, Kaçarlar, Tavşanlar (Lao), Barbaroslar, Cufoğulları and Koca İsmailler. Sarı Mehmet Hürrem Bey came from Antalya. His relatives in the village are Gaziler, Mullalar, Böyleler, Göksanlar. Mehmet Ali came from Porto Dali and settled. His relatives in the village are Efeler (Gürsoy), Takkalar, Tunceliler, Azginlar, Aligünniler, Bedeler. Bayram Cidari came from Dali. His relatives in the village are İzzet Küfiler, Ahamadis, Pasholar. Sarı Mustafa Tahura came from Türkiye, his relatives in the village are Veci, Giço, and Kanulli.His family in the village are Osman Birini, Yusuf Yıldırım and Karayeller (Karaeler). İbrahim Karavoli came from Köfünye. His relatives in the village are Coşkun, İbrahim Gangrello, Mustafa Çağataylı and Tozlar (Tozziler). Mehmed Kadri’ni came from Dali, it is said that he came from the Aegean region before. His relatives in the village are Bedasıler, Bendaşanlar, Pekriler, Kaçarlar, Tavşanlar (Lao), Barbaroslar, Cufoğulları and Koca İsmailler. Sarı Mehmet Hürrem Bey came from Antalya. His relatives in the village are Gaziler, Mullalar, Böyleler, Göksanlar. Mehmet Ali came from Porto Dali and settled. His relatives in the village are Efeler (Gürsoy), Takkalar, Tunceliler, Azginlar, Aligünniler, Bedeler. Bayram Cidari came from Dali. His relatives in the village are İzzet Küfiler, Ahamadis, Pasholar. Sarı Mustafa Tahura came from Türkiye, his relatives in the village are Veci, Giço, and Kanulli.

Lurucina and the Ottoman period, Page 30

We have already mentioned some of the issues that we can determine from books about the village during the Ottoman rule and from those who have extensive knowledge about the village’s history. Accordingly, the number of people paying taxes in the village in 1825 was stated. Based on the number of people paying taxes, it can be concluded that the village had a very small population. In the census conducted in 1881 after the British took over the island, it was determined that there were 598 people living in the village. George Jeffrey FSA, a writer who visited the island during the Ottoman period, states in his work “Historic Monuments in Cyprus” that he visited the village of Lurucina. According to the writer, Lurucina is a poor-looking village and probably has two mosques. Two churches were built in this village in 1856 and 1864. Muslims and Christians live together in this village. A rich Turk from Nicosia built a school and a mosque in this mixed village.

******************************************************************************** Judge Yusuf Agha Page 30-33

As I mentioned before, a person named Mehmet Kadrini came to the village approximately 8 generations ago (since the exact date is not known, this information given by those who have information about the village is taken as history). He came from Dali and settled in the village and was given property by the administration of the time, especially in the Dev Yırtık region, which had fertile lands. This region is on the Larnaka-Nicosia main road. Working in this region, where the Ottoman authority was weakened and where fugitive soldiers and robbers were rampant, required courage. Mehmet Kadri had the courage to face these. For this reason, he developed extensive vineyards in the region and worked them with his sons. One of his sons, Yusuf, used to challenge his father a little. When the team recruiting soldiers for the Ottoman Army came to the village, Mehmet Kadri, instead of sending one of his sons, who did not disobey him, to the army, pointed to Yusuf and said, “Take this one”, and thus Yusuf became a soldier. In that period, military service lasted for years. Since there was no communication like today, no news was received from Yusuf. His father grew old and gave a part of his vineyards to his other sons and kept a part for himself. Yusuf, who went to the army, learned to use a sword and shield well, as well as reading and writing, and also worked as a pasha’s aide. Later, he returned to the island and was appointed as a judge in Lefkoşa. Although he was not upset with his family, he did not visit the village because he thought he was being treated unfairly in the distribution of goods. His father continued to grow vineyards. According to the tradition of that period, no one could enter a vineyard without permission, but everyone who had a vineyard on the side of the road would put a köfün full of grapes on the side of the road for passersby to eat. Uncle Mehmet did the same. Despite this, one day he saw two strangers wandering around the vineyard and handed them over to the police. The police brought these two grape thieves, who were caught, to Yusuf Ağa in order to judge them. Yusuf Ağa, who listened to the events, realized that the complainant was his father. Thereupon, he gave the thieves an interesting punishment. According to the court decision, the thieves would go to the owner of the vineyard, kiss his hand and apologize to him. Yusuf Ağa, who knew his father’s character very well, knew that his father would react harshly and even curse the judge who made this decision. Therefore, he said to the police who took the thieves to apologize, “If the owner of the property wants to see the judge, bring him to me.” The events unfolded as he had predicted. When Uncle Mehmet saw the thieves and learned why they had gone, he complained to the judge and said, “Which fool made this decision?” When the police said that he could go and see the judge if he wished, he immediately set off and went to the court. Without having time to understand who the judge was in the court, he repeated the same words. When he did not see the reaction he expected from the judge and looked carefully, he realized that his son Yusuf, whom he had sent to the army years ago, was the judge and the father and son hugged each other. Uncle Mehmet suggested that he and his son go to the village and they went to the village together.

The next day, he went to the Dev Yırtiği region and gave the vineyard fields that were his share in the presence of witnesses. At that time, there were no land registry records yet (land registry records started in 1857). The transfer of a property from father to son was done in the presence of 3 witnesses. Accordingly, the father and son would kneel in the presence of the witnesses for the property to be given, then the amount of land to be given was stated and three handfuls of land was given to the son by the father. Later, Yusuf Ağa got married and settled in the village and became the father of 5 sons. According to the story, Yusuf Ağa was a bold, brave and courageous person. He was very good with sword and shield. In the meantime, the disorder in the Ottoman Army continued. According to the story, there was a wedding in an arched house opposite the water tank behind Mehmet Cemberli’s house. According to the traditions of that period, the most authorized person in the region had the right to spend the first night of the wedding with the bride. In order to benefit from this right, which was based on tyranny and had no legal basis, an unknown number of fugitive Albanian-origin Ottoman soldiers who learned that there was a wedding in the village went to the wedding house. Those who saw these armed soldiers panicked, but there was nothing they could do. Thereupon, they decided to prolong the wedding ceremony as much as possible and to inform Yusuf Ağa in the meantime. The fugitive soldiers, who were sure of themselves, soon saw Yusuf Ağa appearing before them with his sword. Yusuf Ağa let out a loud yell, broke the lamp hanging from the ceiling that illuminated the room, and attacked the Albanians. The Albanians realized they had hit a tough nut to crack and left the village in panic. (This information was given by Hüseyin Bendaşan, a descendant of Yusuf Ağa).

LIFE IN THE 1900’S Page 33-35

As in the Ottoman period, in the early years of British rule, life in the rural areas of Cyprus was generally very primitive. There were no roads, water, electricity, communication, health services, schools or education. Illiteracy and poverty dominated the village. In Lurucina Village, the majority of the houses were made of adobe. A small number of houses were built of stone. The literacy rate was almost zero. Transportation was generally done by mules, carts and donkeys. The villagers’ general livelihood was agriculture and viticulture, which were carried out with primitive methods, such as sheep and goat herding. In the following years, many villagers started to work in the road construction works initiated by the British administration. Another group generally went to Nicosia and worked. These works were sometimes in the form of road construction. During these years, schools were opened in the rural areas. The issue of health was heartbreaking. There were almost no doctors. Sick villagers sought treatment from priests, clergymen and witch doctors. Typhoid, tuberculosis, trachoma and similar diseases were rampant. A large part of the population had great difficulties in earning their living. The villagers of Lurucina produced irrigated agriculture, especially tomatoes, under primitive conditions due to the fertility of their land. The dry-eyed peas of Lurucina, which is still very famous, were planted in the fallow plain fields. Viticulture was also another branch that was carried out on a large scale. Especially along the dirt road from the south of the village to Larnaca, there were vineyards of hundreds or even thousands of acres. Temporary vineyard shearers were appointed to protect the vineyard products and everyone paid for the payment of these shearers according to the amount of shear they had. The collected grapes were used in various ways. While some of these were used as table goods, some were used for raki in the raki boilers in the village. While some were used as raisins in homes, a large part was sold to wine factories in Limassol. The grapes to be sold to the factory were collected in the threshing floor where the Atatürk Bust is located today. After weighing here, they were loaded onto trucks. The cauldron owners that I remember existing in our village to produce raki are: Mehmet Zabit, Emine Yassi, Hüseyin Geleo, Ramadan Zurnacı. Arson of crops during threshing was one of the methods of taking revenge. Since there were no combine harvesters at that time, the crops were reaped with sickles, tied in bunches and carried to threshing floors very close to the village and ground. During the threshing defense periods, arguments would occur between those who complained about the blown straw and the property owners. Our villagers working in Lefkoşa and other places would go to these workplaces with village buses. At that time, 6 buses would depart from the village every morning. The buses would depart from today’s village square. The coffeehouses in this region would open very early so that the workers who were going to go could drink something hot. The first bus would depart at five in the morning to carry the early birds. The other 3-4 would depart at around six and their passengers, that is, the sick who were going to town for any reason,The bus carrying people who went shopping and other errands would depart from the village square at 7.30. The buses had two sections, one for men and one for women. In other words, there was no partition between them. If there were women among the passengers, they would sit in the front and men would sit in the back. Respected people, such as the village headman Ali Rauf, school principals, teachers, and police officers, would sit in the front and next to the driver. Headman Ali Rauf would arrive last on the bus. The headman would not go to his destination empty-handed. He would always have a basket in his hand. Someone would carry this basket from the grocery store to the bus. The basket would contain grapes, figs, hellim, tarhana, black-eyed peas, eggs or tomatoes. The headman would go and take his place on the bus with his hat on and his walking stick in his hand. According to the respect that existed at that time, no one would go and sit in the front seat of the bus. Fights were common in that period. The headman would use his influence to solve many of them. In addition, theft and especially the theft of cattle were very common. A person whose cattle were stolen would not go to the police but to notorious thieves or influential people. In this way, he could sometimes save all of his cattle, sometimes only some of them.

******************************************************************************** The murder of police officer Ibrahim in 1915 Page 37

A police officer named İbrahim was from Evdim (Düzkaya) village of Limassol and was on duty in our village in 1915. At that time, the police station was in the inn of Muhtar Yusuf Ağa. The police officers generally worked closely with the muhtar, village members and the village watchman at that time. According to Yusuf Seyit Ali, aged 87 and one of the living witnesses of the murder of the policeman, the incident happened as follows. Yusuf’s father was a shepherd. A goat disappeared from his herd and he suspected that this goat was stolen by a villager named Osman Karaye. The lost goat entered the herd of a shepherd from Aradip Village, which was close to the village. The Greek shepherd realized that the goat belonged to Seyit Ali and waited for an opportunity to inform him. In the meantime, the hostility between Osman and Seyit Ali, which existed for other reasons, increased even more. One evening, Seyit Ali and his son Yusuf (the person who narrated the incident) were walking in the village square when they encountered Osman. Osman was drunk and carrying a knife. In fact, it was almost impossible to come across someone who did not carry a knife at that time. Seyit Ali was very afraid of Osman and went to Policeman İbrahim who was sitting with the headman and complained that Osman was carrying a knife. The policeman with the complaint immediately stood up and prepared to go looking for Osman with Halil Mustafuri, the field guard (desteban). Although the experienced headman Yusuf Ağa told Policeman İbrahim “don’t do it”, he could not make him listen. Policeman İbrahim caught up with Osman Karaye in front of Gülferi Usta’s tailor shop. He asked him to give the knife. At that time, for a bully to hand over his knife was considered as humiliating as surrendering his honor and dignity. Osman did not give his knife and the policeman tried to take it by force. At that moment, the fateful thing happened and Osman stabbed the policeman with the knife. In an instant, the place turned into a bloodbath. As a result of the knife blow, the policeman fell to the ground, while Osman froze in place, realizing the mistake he had made. The villagers gathered around were very angry at Osman’s action and wanted to kill him on the spot. Among those who rushed to the scene was Muhtar Yusuf Ağa. The Muhtar said, “Nobody touch Osman, bring a rope and let’s tie him up, there is a law in the country” and tried to calm the angry villagers. Osman was tied tightly with the rope that was brought and he was taken to the Muhtar’s office together with the seriously injured police officer İbrahim. No one knew what to do. Wool was put on the wound to stop the flow of blood but the bleeding could not be stopped. The only doctor in the area was in the Jewish village of Margo, but it was not an easy task to find the doctor. So while the policeman was dying in great pain, a messenger was sent to the police to come and get Osman. Osman was brought to court with a request for his death. His father sold everything he had to save his son from execution. Osman was sentenced to life imprisonment. After spending 20 years in prison, he was released and returned to the village.Since the villagers never forgave him for the crime he committed, he could not survive in the village and migrated to Antalya, where he died.

The murder of the priest in 1924 Page 40-43

The Greek Church, which was banned from operating and subject to all kinds of prosecution during the years when the island was under Lusignan and Venetian rule, was recognized as the only legal church on the island after the island was conquered by the Ottomans, and the activities of the Latin Church were banned. In later years, Greek clergy and other officials abused their positions and became rich by imposing heavy taxes on the people, while some used this wealth to build Greek schools and churches. The church, which had become economically strong, was at the forefront of this activity. Although our subject is the history of the village of Akıncılar, it is known that there were many Greek Cypriots among the Greek soldiers who landed in Izmir on May 15, 1919. While the homeland of the Turks was shedding blood, the Greek Church in Cyprus, with the connivance of the British administration, launched a Christianization campaign against the Turkish Cypriot people who were writhing in despair. Greek clergy were very effective outside the cities. The Lurucina Turks were at the forefront of these targets. Realizing these activities of the Greeks, the EVKAF administrators of the time assigned a clergyman named Mehmet Raci Efendi, who was from the Mehmetcik village of Mağusa (Galatya), to our village. Despite being a turbaned clergyman, Raci Efendi was a very enlightened and pure Turkish nationalist. It had become difficult for the Greek clergymen to have a free hand in the village. Raci Efendi was also a teacher in addition to being an imam. Papa Haralambos, who was the village priest at the same time, continued his activities to convert any Muslim to the Christian religion, which was the biggest dream of every Greek clergyman. The nationalist youth of the village could not remain silent in the face of the stain that was being tried to be cast on them. According to the old people, one evening, Raci Efendi asked the village youth, “This priest is trying to turn you into Greeks. Aren’t there two brave men who can deal with this?” On September 24, 1924, the priest was killed by two men by crushing his head while he was sleeping in his garden hut on the 13th mile of the Nicosia-Larnaca highway. When the incident was heard the next morning, the British police of the time mobilized to reveal the incident. A large number of mounted police were running wild between the murder site and the village. After the priest was killed, the first suspects were Raci Efendi and a Turkish policeman named Corporal Ahmet on duty in the village. The British police did not attempt to catch them. All the men who could not prove that they were far from the village on the night of the incident were arrested. While most of them were kept in the village police station, some were taken to Kiracıköy and Dizdarköy police stations. Two brothers named Mustafa and Yusuf Bayram were caught in connection with the incident and were brought to court for killing the priest. Between October 16 and 21, 1924, The two brothers were tried in the high criminal court in Nicosia and were sentenced to death. Their appeals to the Court of Appeal and the Governor for amnesty were rejected and they were hanged in the Nicosia Central Prison on November 20, 1924.

Lurucina Turkish Youth Association. Page 55-58

While the young people of Akıncılar were struggling to survive under the difficult living conditions created by the continuation of the Second World War, they were also organizing national and social events. In order to gather the young people of the village under one roof, the young people of the period, with the efforts of their teachers who were filled with the spirit of Atatürk, founded the “Lurucina Turkish Youth Club”, which would operate in the sports and cultural fields. This club operated for many years in the building allocated by Veli Usta across from the village mosque, and with the establishment of a good football team, it achieved great success in sports competitions with teams from the surrounding Turkish and Greek villages. On the day of a football match in the village, there would be a festive atmosphere. Everyone, young and old, would gather at the football field in the south of the village and support the players. Regardless of the result of the game, the guest players would be invited to the club and hot tea would be served to them. Ali Denizer, one of the football players trained by our club, was a young man playing in the Cyprus National Team.

With the establishment of the club, the young people gathered under one roof and were active in sports such as football, table tennis and athletics, while they were also benefiting from the library created in the club. It was a separate source of pride for the young people that the teachers went to the club premises. Everyone would listen to the teachers attentively and ask questions about topics they could not understand. There was also a large radio in the premises that worked with batteries. Istanbul Radio and later Ankara Radio could be listened to from this radio. A person who was not a club member was generally not allowed to enter the club. Being expelled from the club membership was considered a great shame. Therefore, our young people were trying to pay their membership fees perfectly despite the kit opportunities.

******************************************************************************** Customs and Traditions Page 59-62

Weddings in the village were organized according to Turkish traditions. Marriages started with an arranged marriage. The groom’s side wanted the girl and the girl’s family would usually decide without asking the girl if the groom was suitable. The characteristics sought in the groom were important factors, such as the groom being young, hardworking and from a somewhat wealthy family. Lineage was very important. After the first agreement was reached, the engagement period would begin. During the engagement period, the engaged couples were not allowed to be alone. In fact, the groom was forbidden from going to the girl’s house during this period. The engagement would last for 3-4 years. The wedding would take place after the groom’s side prepared their house and the girl’s side prepared her dowry. Weddings usually started on Mondays and lasted for a week. On the first day of the wedding, the bride’s beds were sewn with violin accompaniment. The sewing was done by the village women who came together. Since the weddings were held separately for women and men, the violinist of the women’s section, Mihail, who was blind, would participate. Later, Gülferi Usta’s mother Emine, who became a famous violinist, would play the döplek. A special meal was prepared for the violinist and the violinist. The wedding host did not pay for these people. A chair was placed in front of the place where they played the instrument. A plate was placed on this chair. After the games played, the participants of the wedding would put money into this plate according to their means. After the beds were erected with music and local games, a young boy would roll on the bridal bed so that the new couple would have a boy. No food was prepared for the women who attended this part of the wedding. Tuesday was the wedding day.

The owners usually spent the day making preparations. On Wednesday, the bride was taken to the bathhouse in a procession accompanied by music. The village men would have fun at the groom’s house if it was available, or at the village coffeehouses if it was not available, eating kebabs cooked from the village meat and drinking wine or zivaniya. In the old days, when weddings were held in our village, sheep stolen from neighboring Greek villages were slaughtered. The police would take strict precautions to prevent such thefts, but despite all precautions, animals were stolen and brought back and the police would serve the meat of these animals. On Thursday, the groom was shaved accompanied by violin and the entertainment continued. Henna was applied at the bride’s house. On Friday afternoons, the wedding procession formed from the bride’s house would go to the groom’s house. At the front of the wedding procession would walk a Turkish flag, followed by a villager carrying a fez on his shoulder, and the bride and groom behind them. The men followed them. The women would walk at a certain distance behind the men. During the march of this procession, it was both shameful and an unforgivable crime for men to look at women coming from behind. When a certain distance was left to the wedding house, the young athletes would start the race and the first person to arrive would be given a pillow in memory of the wedding. After the bride and groom were dropped off at their homes, everyone would disperse. The next morning, the bride’s mother would go to the newlyweds’ house with the soup she had prepared and would want to see the virgin blood. Virgin blood was a source of pride for the bride’s family as well as the groom’s family. A special handkerchief or cloth containing this blood would be placed in a saddle and visitors to the bride’s house could see it for 40 days. Since the only entertainment of the period was weddings, the young people of the time would get into fights many times in order to both show their strength and make their names known. However, these fights would usually end with hand fights and swearing. The intervention of good people would be effective. During the wedding, a small amount of money would be collected for the newlyweds. The money would not be placed on the bride and groom’s chests as it is today, but in a suitable place in front of them. Gülferi Usta played the violin from the men’s section of the wedding. The drums and zurna were the most important instruments of the wedding. The dances played at weddings were the first, second and third dances, zeybeks and arabiyes, which are specific to Cyprus. There were no belly dancers at weddings. The average age of marriage for men was around thirty. For women, it was 20-25. As for the birth, it was easier to make an opinion about the sex of the child by looking at the new feelings, nausea or discomfort felt by the expectant mother after the pregnancy began. If the abdomen developed in a forward-facing manner, it was predicted that the baby would be a boy, if the sides were straight and the back parts were widened, it was predicted that the baby would be a girl. Many times the predictions did not come true.

When the labor pains started, the husband would run to the house of Emine Hanım, the village midwife. Before Emine Hanım became a midwife, a Greek midwife named Andigoni was brought from the Greek village of Limbia. Just as the midwives went on foot to fetch them, the midwives also went on foot to the house of the woman who was going to give birth. The midwife would prepare her bag and carry it to the father-to-be. The women who gathered prepared the necessary hot water until the midwife arrived home. When the midwife arrived home, she would usually take everyone out and examine the pregnant woman. When she guessed whether the birth would be normal or not, the father-to-be was informed to prepare a car. At that time, there were only a few buses. Despite this, if the owner of the bus requested, the pregnant woman was taken to the Nicosia General Hospital accompanied by the midwife. If the birth was normal, a forty-day postpartum period would begin. During the postpartum period, the postpartum woman was not left alone day or night in order not to be attacked by demons and evil spirits.

Another habit of the villagers was to eat liver on Sundays. There were 6-7 butchers in our village. They would slaughter the animals in the threshing floors. Some butchers also had liver cooking areas. The villagers loved eating the liver cooked there. In addition, the livers bought for home were fried and eaten with onions and tomatoes for breakfast or lunch.

Another bad tradition of the village men was gambling. Gambling, which started with the approach of the new year, reached its peak on New Year’s Eve and a large number of people gambled on those days.

Celebration of national days Page 65-69

The celebration of national days was carried out under the leadership of schools and clubs. While youth festivals such as April 23 and May 19 were celebrated with enthusiasm, the preparation and staging of these plays required a long effort. The youth, struggling with the equipment resources of those days, would go door to door for days to arrange the stage and to provide chairs for those who would watch the shows. Hüseyin Kubilay, who was the secretary of the club for many years, explained that in order to organize such events, they would go door to door and collect the necessary items for chairs, tables and decorations from the villagers and carry them back in the same way after the show. The seats placed in front of the stage were primarily occupied by the headman Ali Rauf, who was loved and respected by the whole village, the teachers and, if any, special guests. The income obtained from such shows was spent on the poor village children.

In connection with the celebration of the 19 May Youth and Sports Day in 1956, the following article by Akıncılar Youth Center Secretary Hüseyin Kubilay was published in the local newspapers published at that time.

“The primary and secondary schools of our village and the youth of our club came together and gave us a very exciting day. Schools, houses and streets were decorated with our flags from one end to the other. No one from the public had gone to work and had prepared to celebrate this happy day. Our squares and coffeehouses decorated with our flags were filled to the brim with a large crowd of people from the early hours of the morning. The national tunes played by the drums and zurnas roaming the streets gave great sensitivity to this happy day.

Our primary school was chosen as the venue for the ceremony. Our primary school education board took advantage of this opportunity and kept the school’s painting, embroidery and sewing exhibition open to the public until the ceremony time. It gave us great joy to see the various paintings, embroidery and sewing of our little children. The embroidery corner was especially striking. While we expressed our admiration for this success of our little children, we consider it a duty of conscience to appreciate and congratulate our primary school education board who made great efforts and efforts in the upbringing of our children.

On April 27, 1949, the Hürsöz newspaper published the following news under the title “April 23 celebrated in Lurucina”.

“The April 23rd holiday organized by the Lurucina Turkish Youth Association was celebrated at the club building at 10:00 with the National Anthem and speeches indicating the importance of the day. The athletics competitions that started at 2:00 in the afternoon were successfully held in the presence of a large crowd of people from the surrounding villages. The results of the competitions are as follows.

100 Meters: First, Gülferi Süleyman, second Yusuf Berber, third Salahi Osman.

Discus throw: First, İbrahim Mustafa, 72.9, second Mehmet Özer 67.10, third Mehmet Ağdıran 64.10.

800 Meters: First, Gülferi Süleyman, second Yusuf Berber, third Hüseyin Savalas.

One step: First, Salahi Osman. 18.2. second Ismail Mustafa Kale 17.3, third Osman Ramadan 15.7.

200 Meters: Gülferi Süleyman, second Yusuf Berber, third İsmail Mustafa Kale.

Shot put: First Mehmet Ağdıran 28.4, second İbrahim Mustafa 27.6, third Sevket Musa Tatlısu 27.5

1500: First Yusuf Berber, second İbrahim Mustafa, third Zihni Mehmet Koççat.

High jump: First Salahi Osman, second Gülferi Süleyman

80 Metres Women: First Raziye Ali, second Muazzez Derviş and Ayten Tahsildar.

three steps: First Salahi Osman 39.7. second Gülferi Süleyman 36.5, third İsmail Mustafa 36.5.

Boot and sack race: First Ismail and Kemal, second Hasan and Suleyman, third Ismail and Yusuf.

One hundred meter juniors: First Esat Esmer, second Yalçın Ramadan Corporal, third Halil Mehmet.

3 Mile race: First İbrahim Mustafa, second Süleyman Terzi.

After the competitions ended, all athletes received the gifts they won and the ceremony ended. The competitions were managed by the captain of the Lurucina Turkish Youth Club, Mr. Derviş İsmail. On behalf of our club, we would like to thank all the villagers who were kind enough to give gifts to the athletes who participated in the competitions.

Agriculture Exhibitions Page 72-77

Our village is a land of hardworking people with fertile lands. The fact that the land is very fertile combined with the hard work of the villagers created an exemplary village in terms of agriculture.

For this reason, a regional agricultural exhibition was started to be organized in our village in 1946 and these exhibitions continued for years. Our village also won a cup awarded by the Governor of Cyprus as the village that organized the agricultural exhibition best.

The news published on this subject in the Ateş Köylü Newspaper dated October 20, 1946 is as follows.

The exhibition organized by the Lurucina Turkish Farmers Union on Sunday, October 20 was held by the village headman

Mr. Ali started with a welcome speech. In response, the Director of Agriculture, Mr. MacDonald, stated that he had listened to the wishes through the Mukhtar, and that some of these wishes did not concern him. The wishes that concern him were the establishment of a vineyard sample in the village, the production of breeding animals and chickens, and that the government was ready to provide breeding donkeys if anyone from the village wished. The cultivation of sample vineyards in the village

and after stating that the villagers will be given pedigree chickens from Atalasa to feed chickens, the awards were given to those who were entitled to receive awards at the exhibition. The award winners at the exhibition are as follows:

pair of oxen: 1. Osman Halilaza, 2 İrfan Ahmet

mules under three years old: 1. Davut Mehmet, 2. İbrahim Yusuf.

mules under three years old: 1 Ahmet Bekir, 2 Osman Katsura

donkeys over three years old: 1, Mehmet Hasan, 2 Arif Kafa.

three sheep and a ram: 1 Ahmet Bekir, 2. Abdullah Damdelen.

A pair of Turkeys: 1. Kemal Hasan, 2. Seval Ali Rauf.

Hen and Rooster: 1 Kyriakos Hristodulu, 2 Osman Yorgancı.

Goat: 1 Mehmet Veli Bekir, 2. Arif Kafa.

Wheat (Psathas) 1. Ibrahim Kangrello, 2. Bekir Seyit Ali.

Wheat (Bafidigo) 1. Arif Süleyman, 2. Mehmet Hasan Karaca.

Barley: 1. Mehmet Hasan Karaca, 2. Bekir Seyit Ali.

Oatmeal: 1, name not specified, 2 Mehmet Mahmut.

Burçak: 1. İbrahim Kangrello, 2. Hüseyin İbrahim.

seed cotton: 1 Ibrahim Yusuf, 2. Ali Rauf.

Samos: 1. Abraham Joseph, 2. Joseph the Perfect.

Green Olive: 1, Ahmet Bekir.

Black-Eyed Peas: 1, Hüseyin İbrahim and İbrahim Yusuf, 2 İbrahim Kangrello.

Tomatoes: 1, Mehmet Veli, 2. Mustafa Omer

grapes: 1, Kemal Ahmet, 2. Yusuf Yasumullo.

Hellim: 1, Kemal Ahmet, 2. Hüseyin Ali.

Tarhana: 1, Yusuf Seyit Ali, 2. Hüseyin Kara İsmail.

wine: 1st, Mehmet Songur, 2nd, Osman Talat.

Zivania: 1, Hassan Yusuf, 2. Hussein Geleo.

Embroideries:

1, Pink Yusuf and Nebile Osman,

Cemaliye Osman, 3. Serif Nasip.

According to the Hür Söz newspaper dated October 5, 1948, the Governor of Cyprus Windsor also attended the Agricultural Exhibition held in our village on Sunday, October 3.

According to the newspaper, the car that brought the Governor was greeted by young athletes at the entrance to the village. The students lined up in the village square sang the King’s March. The Governor toured the exhibition and then gave a speech to the villagers. In this speech, the Governor said that he knew the people’s troubles and demands very well and that solutions would be sought within the framework of the possibilities.

The Governor’s response to the proposals.

His Excellency expressed his gratitude for the kind reception shown to them by the villagers. He thanked the government departments that had helped with various public services in the village and he praised the Mukhtar for his understanding of the way of approaching the government very well by mentioning the work that was requested to be done.

child care home.

They stated that this work depends on three things.

Having a house with a large courtyard
Training a knowledgeable babysitter.

Agricultural Affairs.

No serious progress has been made in this direction so far, because the villagers have not made the sacrifice of grafting their own vineyards with new varieties. However, if the villagers themselves show a willingness, the agricultural department is ready to provide all kinds of assistance.

The asphalt road issue.

His Excellency said while recalling the days before asphalt roads were built in the country.

He stated that today, 2 thousand liras are needed to asphalt one mile of road and 10 thousand liras are needed to asphalt the 5-mile road that Lurucina wants.

His Excellency pointed out with importance that Lurucina was not the only village on the island, there were 600 other villages and they also had the right to demand an asphalt road, and said that an expense of 6 million liras would be required for this.

Police station.

His Excellency the Governor stated that police stations are always located in places where disturbing events occur. However, in Lurucina everything is in order and discipline and he was surprised that the Mukhtar mentioned the request to open a police station in his speech.

His Excellency the Governor, appreciating the order and discipline at the exhibition, presented the cup allocated for the agricultural exhibitions to the village headman.

****************************************************************************** Schools and Education. Page 84-87

According to the British, who took over the island administration in 1878, there was no literate person in any village in Cyprus at that time. Ignorance was prevalent everywhere. I learned that a primary school was opened in our village in the early 1900s. I conducted research in the TRNC Ministry of National Education and Culture and Evkaf to determine when this school was opened, but no records were found on this subject.

According to the records in the Ministry of National Education and Culture, there was a primary school for boys in the 1919-1920 academic year. The teacher of this school was our villager İsmail Efendi. The number of students was 53. The teacher’s annual salary was 26 lira. 20 lira of this money was paid by the Evkaf and the rest by the government. According to what the old people said, every student who attended the school had to bring eggs, bread or other food items to the teacher on certain days of the week.

In 1915, an application was made to the Evkaf with the signatures of the village headman Yusuf Ali, Azalar Ahmet Osman, Arif İbrahım and Süleyman Arif to open a school for girls in our village. As a result of the efforts, a primary school for girls was opened in the village in 1920. A female teacher named Nahide Ahmet was appointed as the teacher of this school in the first academic year. The number of female students was 42. The first primary school for boys opened in the village was in the village mosque and the primary school for girls was in the building on the road from the mosque to the village square.

Later, a large primary school building with a large courtyard was built on a high place in the southern part of the village for girls and boys. When this building became insufficient due to the increase in the number of students, a second primary school building was built in the village of Limbia.

In 1951, as a result of the hard work of the village authorities, a middle school was opened in our village. With the opening of the middle school in our village, Turkish students from the surrounding villages also enrolled in this school. These villages are known today as Üçşehitler (Goşşi), Esendağ (Petrofan), Gaziler (Piroi), Dereliköy (Bodamya), Arpalık (Ay Sozomenos), and Dali villages. While some of the students coming from outside the village came on bicycles, some came on foot. At that time, owning a bicycle was a great privilege. Sometimes two people would go back and forth on the same bicycle. These students would come to school every morning, regardless of rain, cold or heat, and return in the evenings.

The house of Hüseyin Esmeroğlu was first used as a secondary school building in the village. When the second and third grade situation arose, the building next to the village mosque was used. Later, the current secondary school building was built and used as such for many years.

The opening of the secondary school was a turning point for our village. Education, although paid, was available to us. Hundreds of our villagers and the youth of the surrounding villages who graduated from this school went on to higher education. Among them, doctors, engineers, lawyers, teachers and personnel in many branches were trained.

In the 350 pages of Ali Nesim’s work titled ‘Our Sunset Education Suns’, Orhan Seyfi Arı, who served as the principal of our village’s secondary school for many years, tells his memories as follows. “In 1953, I was sent to the secondary school that had opened a year earlier in Lurucina. Kafa Riza and Ahmet Tansel Hoca were there before me. At that time, there were very few students. They would not send their daughters to school. Two months later, Mehmet Irmak Bey and his wife were sent there as teachers. They were both Turkish teachers. Finally, his wife stayed in Lefkoşa and they gave Muvaffak Necdet in her place. Later, with the consent of the teacher, they gave Melek Hanım, the wife of Vehbi Tümen, in her place.

I stayed there until 1959. When I first went there, there were 30 students in the school. When I left, there were 60-70 students. The village headman, Ali Rauf Efendi, worked to maintain and develop the school. At that time, there were two thousand people in Luricina. However, they would not send their children to school. I would go door to door, field to field, collecting students. I even enrolled those who had finished primary school two or three years earlier. Since there were many poor people, they could not pay the enrollment fee. I set up a charity fund and continued the school.

*********************************************************************************** Mosques, Cemeteries and Holidays Page 87-91

The village has only one mosque, but its date of establishment is unknown. It is said that the mosque was built in its current form in 1900. In the past, there was a building used as a school and a mosque on the same site. The minaret was built in 1930. The first known cemetery of the village is the old cemetery at the entrance of the village. It is said that the cemetery area was given by the first known village headman, Mehmet Bedasi. When this cemetery was full, the cemetery to the east of it began to be used, and in 1967, the cemetery in the northwest of the village, which is still in use, was built.

The Eid prayers were performed with great excitement. On the morning of Eid, the mosque would overflow from one end to the other. At the front stood the head imam Mehmet Songur, behind him stood the other imam and muezzin Arif Kaplan. Another person who served as muezzin was Veli Usta. After the call to prayer was recited, when everyone lined up, Veli Usta would explain with his booming voice how to perform the prayer and say: “Make the intention to perform the Eid prayer, which consists of two rakats with nine takbirs, and follow the imam who is ready.” After repeating this two or three times, the prayer would be performed.

When leaving the mosque, those who could afford it would give money to the elderly, especially those who gathered in front of the mosque and begged. Since the villagers were poor, they also had beggars.

Then the entertainment would start. The main entertainment of the village youth was to rent a bicycle and ride it a certain distance and return. Those who were a little brave would rent a motorbike. These rentals were made in the shade of the large cypress trees that existed at that time on the road in front of İsmail Barbaros’ house. Young girls would swing on the swings set up in the courtyards of some houses and sing songs. When there was no cinema in the village, theater was usually staged on holiday nights. Later, the Demirci Family started showing movies. The first place where movies were shown was the coffeehouse right across from the Cambulat Grocery. Since the space was very small, movies were shown during the day. The Demirci brothers later built the cinema buildings that still stand today, one for summer and one for winter. These cinemas were named ULUS in order to keep alive the name of our villager Ulus (Ulus Ulfet), who was martyred in an explosion in Lefkoşa in 1958.

Later, Bekir Seyit Ali also built a cinema building. With the advent of televisions, cinemas completed their mission. Before these cinemas were opened in the village, our villagers would go to the cinema of someone named Vasos in Dali. Is it possible not to mention the iftar cannon that was exploded during the month of Ramadan? Bekir Veli Demirci, one of the blacksmiths raised in our village, would explode the iftar cannon in the months of Ramadan, starting from 1946 and continuing until 1977. He would do this duty without expecting anything in return.

In Ramadan 1948, while he was preparing the iftar ball in his shop, an explosion occurred. Bekir was badly injured in his right hand. According to the information he gave, he was immediately taken to the General Hospital in Lefkoşa. The doctor on duty was Greek. When he asked the reason for the injury and learned that it was an iftar ball, he said “there is no use in this arm” and decided to cut off Bekir’s right arm up to the elbow and cut it off. Bekir did not give up and continued to explode the iftar ball with one arm and did great service to our village in later periods.

Our villagers and art Page 91-93

While the villagers of Akıncılar gave importance to education, they also gave great importance to art. In the early periods, namely in the 1930s, there were almost no artists in the village, but in the 1950s, we had many villagers from every branch of art.

The first arts learned were construction and shoemaking. Later, tailoring, carpentry, blacksmithing, machining, barbering and many other arts were learned.

Gülferi Süleyman Kemanist, who was educated in the field of music, was perhaps one of the most famous violinists that Cyprus has produced. Gülferi, who was a very good tailor, athlete and violinist, was also a good checker player. He had a personality that could not tolerate defeat. He served the village in his field for many years and continued his profession in London, where he migrated in later years, and passed away there.

Others involved in music in the village were İsmaıl Gökşan on the violin, his brother Rifat on the drums, and his father Ramadan Zurnacı on the zurna. Veli Mustafa ‘Kirlapo’ and Uncle İbrahim played the drums. Zeki Ernaz and Kemal Lautacı played the Lauta, while Yusuf Darbukacı was a true master of the darbuka.