Travel Guide Karavas – Alsancak

George Michael (1963-2016) fans beware: this is where the paternal family of the British singer, ex-leader of the group Wham! and most famous Cypriot personality - by birth - comes from. However, the name Karavas (derived from the Greek word karavi, "boat") has gone down in history for another reason. It was here, on the most beautiful beach near Kyrenia, that the Turkish army landed on July 20, 1974. Along the coastal road, a museum and a monument commemorate this event. Founded in the 7th century by the inhabitants of the ancient city of Lapithos-Lambousa, Karavas was an important center of Hellenic culture. In addition to the great Acheiropoiet monastery, the village boasted no fewer than 14 churches and played an active role in the Greek War of Independence in the 1820s. The exclusively Greek Cypriot population (around 2,200) left Karavas in the early hours of the 1974 invasion. The village was renamed Alsancak ("red banner"), in reference to the Turkish national flag, and then repopulated by Turkish Cypriot refugees from the southern part. As far as tourism is concerned, there is only one free public beach, next to the Lapithos-Lambousa archaeological site.