The Long Street

In the heart of Nicosia, capital of Cyprus, there is a long street. 

This street has been there for centuries, it was and still is one of the main shopping areas of the city. 

If you’ve been to Nicosia, probably you walked there during a sunny afternoon. You might have stopped to look at the shops’ windows, had a coffee in one of the many cafes, or a delicious souvlaki for dinner. 
Shops, mini markets, restaurants, cafes, bars, ice-cream places, nothing is missing in this street. 

Its past

In its dark past, at the end of the 50s, it was renominated The Murder Mile, due to the frequent attacks to British soldiers.
Nowadays the situation is very peaceful and the street is always crowded with locals and tourists. 

Not too long ago, before hate and politics changed its shape, this street used to be called Makridromos (the long street). 
The street started in Metaxa square (nowadays Eleftheria square) and continued for around 1km north.
You won’t find that name on the current maps, indeed the street was divided by the creation of the Green Line.

The once long street became Ledra Street in the south, buffer zone in the middle, and a short part of Lokmaci in the north. 

The divided street

Ledra Street took its name from the ancient kingdom of Ledra, located where Nicosia is today. The street has been pedestrian for the last 25 years.

Since 1974, for 34 years, a roadblock was stopping people from walking from the start to the end of the long street. The two parts of the street were divided and no one could access the other one.

The roadblock was replaced by a checkpoint in 2008. For most people (according to their passport) it is possible to cross and walk the entire long street. 
You will need to show your ID or passport twice in order to cross. The checkpoints are often crowded during weekends so you might need to wait.

The heart of the city

The long street is the divided heart of the city, that makes you question whether Nicosia is still one.

For many foreigners in Cyprus that street feels so familiar. In the end, how many of us, foreigners in a foreign land, are like that street? One but divided between cultures and territories.
How many of us are a bit confused on where home is?

The division changed the shape of the long street but we shall not forget that it’s still one. And there is still hope that, one day, there will be no checkpoint in the middle.