Karavas

Karavas Καραβάς (Greek) Alsancak  (Turkish)
Karavas Location in Cyprus
Coordinates:
Country	Cyprus
• District	Kyrenia District
Country (controlled by)	Northern Cyprus
• District	Girne District
Population (2011)
• Total	6,597
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
• Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
Website	Turkish Cypriot Municipality Cypriot municipality (in exile)

Escape Beach Club in Karavas (Alsancak), Kyrenia

Karavas (Greek: Καραβάς; Turkish: Alsancak) is a town in the Kyrenia District of Cyprus. It is under the de facto control of Northern Cyprus. As of 2011, the town has a population of 6,597.

Etymology

The name Karavas comes from the Greek karávi (καράβι), meaning "ship".

History

Prior to the Turkish invasion in 1974, Karavas had a pure Greek population of approximately 3,000. Karavas was captured by the Turkish Army during the second Turkish invasion after July 20, 1974. All Greek Cypriot inhabitants were forced out of Karavas by Turkish military forces and have become refugees within Cyprus.

The Turkish Cypriot municipality Alsancak was founded in 1974.

"Pente Mili" is one of the most beautiful beaches in Karavas.

The Cyprus Treasure, an impressive collection of silver vessels, dishes, spoons and jewelry, was found here in 1902 and 1917. It can be found in the British Museum in London, Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and the Cyprus Museum in Nicosia.

Notable people

Karavas is the ancestral village of the British pop singer George Michael.

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Northern Cyprus

Twin towns – sister cities

Karavas is twinned with:

• Bornova, İzmir, Turkey (since 2011)
• Gazipaşa, Antalya, Turkey (since 2015)