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Agios Georgios, or Ayyorgi, a village in the Kelokedara region of Paphos, is located twenty-five kilometers east of Paphos (Ktima) and two kilometers east of Mamonia. Agios Georgios means “Saint George” in Greek. Turkish Cypriots called the village Ayyorgi until 1958, when they adopted the alternative name Kavaklı, meaning “place with poplar trees.”
As may be seen from the above chart, Agios Georgios was predominantly inhabited by Turkish Cypriots from the Ottoman period. During the first half of the 20th century the population of the village increased from 142 to 243. However there was a significant drop recorded in 1960, when the population fell to 217.
No one was displaced from this village during the emergency years of the 1950s or during the intercommunal strife of 1963-64. However, the village served as a reception center for some displaced Turkish Cypriots from nearby villages such as Kidasi/Ceyhan(310), Archimandrita(293) and Gerovasa(264). Richard Patrick recorded only 8 displaced Turkish Cypriots still living in Agios Georgios/Kavaklı in 1971. He also noted that the total population of the village in that year was 240.
On 22 July 1974, in response to the Turkish military offensive of 20 July, Greek Cypriot forces placed the village under siege, although they did not attack it. After some of the Turkish Cypriot Fighters surrendered their guns, the siege ended. However, after the siege was over, most of the inhabitants began secretly to flee the village to the Akrotiri British Sovereign Base Area. Those who sought refuge in the Base Area were eventually transferred to north Cyprus via Turkey in January 1975.
By the time the Vienna agreement was signed, almost 150 persons had made their way to the northern part of the divide. Eventually the remaining 89 persons were evacuated to the north under the escort of UNFICYP on 16 August 1975. Most of them were resettled in Zodeia/Bostancı(047), and the rest were dispersed amongst various villages and towns. Esat Fellahoğlu (2010) claims that apart from those who settled in Zodeia/Bostancı(047), two families resettled in Morphou/Güzelyurt(072), four families in Fyillia/Serhatköy(035), six families in Trachoni/Demirhan(099), two families in Famagusta(140), two families in Agios Georgios/Karaoğlanoğlu(210), one family in Prastio/Aydınköy(091) and one family in Palykythro/Balıkesir village(081). The number of the Agios Georgios/Kavaklı Turkish Cypriots who were displaced after 1974 was around 220-240 (217 in 1960).
After the departure of the Turkish Cypriots, Agios Georgios /Kavaklı village was used for the settlement of displaced Greek Cypriots from the northern part of the divide. The 2001 census recorded only 118 people living there.
Books and Reports:
Colonial Office (1893), “Cyprus: Report on the census of Cyprus, taken 6th April 1891,” Mediterranean, No. 39. London: Colonial Office.
Department of Statitstics and Research, 1997. Estimates of Turkish Cypriots and Settlers from Turkey, Ministry of Finance [Republic of Cyprus], Nicosia.
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- Fellahoğlu, Esat (2010), “Ulusal Direnişte Baf Köyleri,” İstanbul: Bayrak Matbaacılık.
- Giray, Halil: KKTC Yerleşim Birimleri, Yürürlükteki ve Eski İsimler Listesi KKTC İskân Bakanlığı : KKTC Coğrafi İsimler Kataloğu : (Cilt – I and II), Lefkoşa.
- Goodwin, Jack C. (1984), “An Historical Toponymy of Cyprus (Forth edition),” Nicosia (copy number 6).
- Hart-Davis, C. H (1922), “Report and general abstracts of the census of 1921, taken on the 24th April, 1921,” London: Waterlow & Sons.
- Hart-Davis, C. H (1932), “Report of the Census of 1931,” Nicosia: Cyprus Government Printing Office.
- Hatay, Mete, (2005). “Beyond Numbers: An Inquiery into the Political Integration of the Turkish ‘Settlers’ in Northern Cyprus,” PRIO/Cyprus Centre Report 4/2005, Nicosia/Oslo, PRIO.
- Hill, Sir George, (1952). A History of Cyprus, Vol. IV., Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
- Ioannides, Christos P., 1991. “In Turkey’s Image: The Transformation of Occupied Cyprus into a Turkish Province,” Aristide D. Caratzas, New York.
- KKTC Başbakanlık Devlet Planlama Örgütü Müsteşarlığı, “15 Aralık 1996 Genel Nüfus Sayımı Sonuçları (Özet), 26, November 1997,” Nicosia.
- Mavrogordato, Alexander (1901), “Report and general abstracts of the census of 1901, taken on the 1st April, 1901,” Nicosia: Government Printing Office.
- Mavrogordato, Alexander (1912), “Report and general abstracts of the census of 1911, taken on the 2nd April, 1911,” London: Waterlow & Sons.
- Menardos, Simos (2001), Τοπωνημικαι και Λαογραφικαι Μελεται (Topographical and Folkloric Studies), Nicosia: Centre for Scientific Studies
Perry, Frederic W., 1884. Report on the Census of Cyprus 1881, Eyre and Spottiswoode, London.
- Republic of Cyprus, 1961. “Census of Population and Agriculture, 1960: Volume I: Population by Location, Race, and Sex,” Nicosia
- TRNC 2006 census preliminary results can be found at: www.devplan.org
TRNC Prime Ministry State Planning Organisation Statistics and Research Department, Census of Population: Social and Economic Characteristics of Population, December 15, 1996, TRNC Prime Ministry, Nicosia, 1999.
- Standing Cypriot Commission for the Standardization of Geographical Names (2007), “Οδηγος Τυποποιησης Ονοματων (Guide to Standardized Names),” Nicosia: Ministry of Education and Culture.
- Ministry of Finance (1973), “Micro-Census (April 1973) Population by Village and Ethnic Group, Volume I.” Nicosia: Department of Statistics and Research.
- Özad, Murat Hüsnü (2002), “Baf ve Mücadele Yılları,” Lefkoşa (Nicosia): Akdeniz Haber Ajansı Yayınları.
- Patrick, Richard (1976), “Political Geography and the Cyprus Conflict: 1963-1971,” Department of Geography, Faculty of Environmental Studies, University of Waterloo.
- Percival, D.A. (1949), “Census of population and agriculture 1946 report,” Nicosia: Cyprus Government Printing Office.
- Republic of Cyprus (1962), “Census of population and agriculture, 1960,” Nicosia: Government Printing Office.
- Republic of Cyprus (1984), “Census of population 1982,” Nicosia: Department of Statistics and Research, Ministry of Finance.
- Republic of Cyprus (2003), “Census of population 2001,” Nicosia: Department of Statistics and Research, Ministry of Finance.
- St John-Jones, L. W., 1983. “The Population of Cyprus: Demographic Trends and Socio-Economic Influences” (with a foreword by W. H. Morris-Jones), Maurice Temple, Smith Limited, London.
- T.C. Başbakanlık Devlet Arşivleri Genel Müdürlüğü (2000), “Osmanlı İdaresinde Kıbrıs (Nüfus-Arazi Dağılımı ve Türk Vakıfları),” Ankara: Osmanlı Arşivi Daire Başkanlığı Yayın No: 43.
- Yorgancıoğlu, Oğuz: Kıbrıs’ta Türkçe Yer Adları ve Veriliş Yöntemleri Üzerine Bir Araştırma Kıbrıs Araştırmaları Dergisi, Cilt : 2, Sayı : 3, Yıl : 96