The Venetian Column - The granite column was erected by the Venetians in 1550. It used to bear the St. Mark lion. The Ottomans removed the column in 1570 and left it in the courtyard of the Sarayona Mosque. The British re-erected it in its present location during the First World War in 1915. The insignia of six Italian families can be seen at the bottom of the column. The copper globe at the top is a later addition.

Kyrenia Gate - The Kyrenia Gate is one of the three entrances to the city built by the Venetians with stones from the medieval walls of Nicosia, of which not a trace exists today. The gate was originally called the "Porta Del Proveditore". The gate has undergone several changes since its Venetian days. In 1821 the Turks restored it and added a square chamber with a domed roof, and in 1931 the British demolished the section of the walls around it to facilitate the traffic into and out of the city. During the Ottoman restoration, a stone tablet recording the building of the gate by the Venetians was found. This can be seen above the gate archway. The cannons in front of the gate were transferred by the British for the defence of Acre against Napoleon. There was once a secret tunnel from the bastion to the west of the Kyrenia gate, which led to the free areas of the Republic of Cyprus near Ledra Palace but during heavy rains in 1965 it collapsed and was finally sealed off by UNFlCYP.

The Green Line / Buffer Zone - Photograph of the UN Buffer Zone, or Green Line as it is more commonly known, as seen through one of the illegal guard posts on the occupied side. The buffer zone, 140 kilometres long, has been in place since 1974, after the Turkish invasion. It cuts the island in half and is patrolled by a UN peacekeeping force known as UNFICYP. The UN force has 154 observations posts in the buffer zone.

Cathedral of St. Sophia - St. Sophia's Cathedral was built in the period 1208 to 1228 A.D. over the ruins of a previous building. The construction was started by the Latin Archbishop Eustorge de Montaigu and in style resembles the medieval cathedrals of France. The Cathedral was severely damaged by earthquakes in 1491, 1547 and 1735 A.D. The eastern section of the cathedral was destroyed in the 1491 earthquake and as it was being restored by the Venetians, the grave of an old Lusignan king (Hugh II) was uncovered. The corpse was well preserved with a crown on its head, and items made of gold and documents on it. When the cathedral was converted into a mosque in 1570, a re-arrangement was made to oriental it towards Mecca and not Jerusalem as was originally intended and two minarets were built minarets over the two unfinished belfries on either side of the entrance.

Cathedral of St. Sophia - Front Entrance of the Cathedral.

Cathedral of St. Sophia - Side View of the Cathedral

Market Place - Near St. Sophia Cathedral.

Cars queuing up in the free areas of the Republic of Cyprus to cross the Green Line separating the free areas from the illegally occupied North. For the first time in 29 years Turkish Cypriot authorities from the unrecognised and illegal "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" lifted restrictions on movement across the line dividing the north and south of the island. During the first day almost 3000 Turkish Cypriots crossed into the free areas, while about 1250 Greek Cypriots crossed into the occupied North.