BASTION ROCCAS - PARK YIĞITLER

The Roccas bastion (Kaytazağa Burcu) was for thirty years one of the only places where Greek and Turkish Cypriots could see each other, talk to each other... and above all, invective each other. At this point, in fact, the buffer zone does not exist: the bastion, simply bordered by a fence, directly dominates the roundabout of the Paphos Gate and the Markou Drakou Avenue located in the South zone. Since the opening of the Ledra Palace crossing point (nearby) in 2003, things have calmed down.

History. In 1570, the bastion was named after one of the city's main defenders, Lieutenant-General Eugène Sinclitici, Count of Rocas. He came from a noble family of French origin, the de Rouchas family, lords of Morphou, to whom the regency was entrusted when the Frankish kings of Cyprus were absent. Renowned incompetent, Eugene de Rocas was in charge of the Constanza stronghold the night the Ottomans seized it. He was also one of the first nobles killed during the assault with the Count of Tripoli Jacques de Nores.

Today. In Turkish, the place is officially called Kaytazağa Burcu, "the bastion of the venerable Kaytaz", in reference to the great Cypriot poet Kaytazzade Mehmet Nazım (1857-1924). But it is also under two other names: Sınır Parkı, "the border park", and Yiğitler Burcu/Parkı, i. e. "the bastion/park of brave young men" (the name Yiğitler is also given to the village of Arsos, in the occupied part of the Larnaca district).