Kaimakli

Kaimakli
Καϊμακλί (Greek) Büyük Kaymaklı (Turkish)
Kaimakli Location in Cyprus
Coordinates: 35°11′21″N 33°23′1″E / 35.18917°N 33.38361°E / 35.18917; 33.38361Coordinates: 35°11′21″N 33°23′1″E / 35.18917°N 33.38361°E / 35.18917; 33.38361
Country	Cyprus
District	Nicosia District
Municipality	Nicosia
Population (2001)[1]
– Total	10,864 (only Greek part)
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
– Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)

Kaimakli (Büyük Kaymaklı) is a large North Eastern suburb located within the Municipality of Nicosia since 1968. The population of the area was 10864 inhabitants in 2001.

History

Kaimakli has two churches, Saint Varvara's and Archangel Michael's, which is also a cemetery. In St Varvara are some interesting old icons, e.g. one of Virgin Mary dated to 1763.^[2]

In the 19th and 20th Century the inhabitants of Kaimakli where famed for their building and labouring skills. In 1878 when the British arrived they found that the Venetians had diverted the river Pediaios north of the city, but the old riverbed still ran though the centre, creating an open sewer and rubbish dump, which sometimes flooded into the surrounding streets. In 1881 the riverbed was covered, the municipality offered ownership of the area covered to labourers prepared to undertake the work. Much of it was done by builders from Kaimakli who thus built Hermes Street. Many of the shops built where then given to builders as a reward for their labour.^[3]

The Cyprus Government Railway(Section 1) was constructed in 1905 and the line passed through Kaimakli towards Nicosia . A Station Halt and siding was then built in 1909 on the corner of what is now Synergasias Street(This formed part of the old line and the rail tracks are now buried within the tarmac) and St Hilarion.The Line and station closed on the 31st December 1951.^[4]The Station was restored in 1995 and a Linear Park was constructed on over a kilometre of the old track.^[5]

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  Synergasias Street

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  Kaimakli Railway Station

Industry

The Regis Milk Industries which is a major ice cream producer on the island has its factory located at 1 Synergasias Street.^[6]

Sport

Achilleas is a Cypriot basketball club founded in 1943, nowadays running basketball, volleyball and table tennis divisions. It has been an integral part of the community in the suburb of Kaimakli in Nicosia. The club is named after Achilles (Ἀχιλλεύς) a legendary figure of the Greek mythology.^[7]

Etymology

It seems that Kaimakli derives from kaymaki meaning [the] froth [in a cup of Turkish coffee]. However Rubert Gunnis states that the suburb took its name from a farm which produced clotted cream which in Turkish is known as Kiamak.^[8]

References

1. ^ Census 2001
2. ^ Gunnis, R. (1936) 'Historic Cyprus: A Guide to its Towns & Villages Monasteries & Castles' (Nicosia, K Rustem & Bro), p.241
3. ^ http://www.nicosia.org.cy/english/lefkosia_istoriadimou_entos_teixon.shtm
4. ^ The Story of the Cyprus Government Railway B S Turner ISBN 0852984081
5. ^ http://www.nicosia.org.cy/english/ipiresies_dikoisi_kipoi_10.shtm
6. ^ http://www.regis.com.cy/
7. ^ http://www.achilleas.com.cy/
8. ^ Gunnis, R. (1936) 'Historic Cyprus: A Guide to its Towns & Villages Monasteries & Castles' (Nicosia, K Rustem & Bro), p.241