TRIPS

Maraş, one of the most famous holiday resorts of the Mediterranean before 1974, was captured by the Turkish Armed Forces during the Second Cyprus Operation on 13 August 1974 (which ended that day). After it was captured by the Turkish army, Maraş was declared a military forbidden zone.

In 1976-77, some limited areas in the north of the Maraş region were settled, and first Turkish Cypriots, who were immigrants from the south, and then immigrants from Turkey were settled. The Maraş region was administered by the Cyprus Turkish Peace Forces Command, which was directly part of the Turkish Armed Forces between 1974 and 1990, and was officially declared a first-degree military forbidden zone in 1981. On July 29, 1990, the control of the region was handed over to the TRNC Security Forces Command.

The Maraş region has been the subject of United Nations Security Council resolutions. In the decision numbered 550 taken on 11 May 1984, 'the settlement of any part of Maraş by people other than its inhabitants is considered unacceptable and a call is made to hand over the administration of the region to the United Nations.' statement was included. In the resolution numbered 789 dated 14 September 1992, reference was made to the resolution 550 and called for the surrender of the control of the region to the UN Peacekeeping Force.

According to the Annan Plan, Covered Maraş would be left under the control of the Greek Cypriot side. However, although the Annan Plan was accepted by the Turkish Cypriots in the referendum, this situation did not materialize when it was rejected by the Greek Cypriots.

It contains a building belonging to the United Nations. About 400 meters away, six apartments were allocated to the Turkish Armed Forces for the construction of an army house.

Maraş was known as the Las Vegas of the Mediterranean. Before 1974, there were 45 hotels with 10 thousand beds and 60 apartment type hotels in closed Maraş. 58 percent of Greek tourism was in this region. There were 3 thousand commercial units, 99 entertainment centers, 143 Management offices, 4 thousand 649 private houses, 21 banks, 24 theaters and cinemas, 380 unfinished constructions, a library with 8 thousand 500 books in English, Greek and Turkish. With eight kilometers of sandy beaches, Varosha was known as the Las Vegas of the Mediterranean before 1974.