|
Search over 100 encyclopedias and dictionaries: |
Research categories | Follow us on Twitter |
Research categories
View all topics in the newsView all reference sources at Encyclopedia.com |
|||
Nicosia
Nicosia, Cyprus, Italy 1. Cyprus: in Greek Lefkosia and in Turkish Lefkoşa. Until the 4th century the city was known as Ledra or Ledrae, possibly named c.280 bc after Lefcon or Levcos, the elder son of Ptolemy I Soter (c.364–c.282 bc), founder of the Ptolemaic dynasty, who rebuilt the city. Alternative theories are that the city was named after the tall cypress tree, lefki, or as Leukousia after the Greek levkos ‘white’ or ‘brilliant’; or that lefkon meant ‘poplar grove’ because these lined the banks of the Pedieos River on which the city lay. The present name, Nicosia, adopted during the 13th century, is a modification of the Byzantine Lefkosia since the Lusignans found Lefkosia too difficult to pronounce. It has been the capital since the 10th century. Under the rule of the Byzantines (330–1191), Lusignans (1192–1489), Venetians (1489–1571), Ottoman Turks (1571–1878), and the British (1878–1960), the city was divided in 1964 by the so‐called Green Line to separate the Greek sector in the south from the Turkish sector.2. Italy (Sicily); rebuilt by the Normans on the site of an old city called Erleita di Tolomeo ‘Meadows of Ptolemy’ which had been destroyed by the Arabs in the 9th century.
|
|
|
Cite this article
JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Nicosia." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Nicosia." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O209-Nicosia.html JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Nicosia." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O209-Nicosia.html |
|
Nicosia
Nicosia , Gr. Levkosia, Turkish Lefkoşa, city (1992 pop. 177,410), capital of Cyprus, on the Pedieos River in the central plain of the island. It is also the center of an administrative district, part of which is in the Turkish sector. Nicosia, the country's largest city, is an agricultural trade center and has textile, leather, pottery, plastic, and other manufactures. Copper mines are nearby. Known as Ledra or Ledrae in antiquity, it was the residence of the Lusignan kings of Cyprus from 1192, became a Venetian possession in 1489, and fell to the Turks in 1571. The tombs of the Lusignans are in the former Church of St. Sophia (13th cent.), now a mosque. There also are remnants of the Venetian fortifications and museums with notable collections of antiquities. Nicosia was the scene of bitter strife in the period just prior to Cypriot independence (1960), and since the Turkish invasion (1974) part of the city's northern sector has been inside the boundary of the United Nations' buffer zone. The name is also spelled Nikosia. |
|
|
Cite this article
"Nicosia." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Nicosia." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Nicosia.html "Nicosia." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Nicosia.html |
|
Nicosia
Nicosia (Levkosía) Capital of Cyprus, in the centre of the island. Known to the ancients as Ledra, the city was later held by Byzantines, French crusaders and Venetians. The Ottoman Turks occupied the city from 1571 to 1878, when it passed to Britain. It is now divided into Greek and Turkish sectors. Industries: cigarettes, textiles, footwear. Pop. (1999 est.) 195,300.
|
|
|
Cite this article
"Nicosia." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Nicosia." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Nicosia.html "Nicosia." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Nicosia.html |
|
Nicosia
Nicosia •Achaea, aliyah, Almería, Apia, Bahía, Caesarea, Cassiopeia, Chaldea, Cytherea, Euboea, foreseer, freer, galleria, gynaecea, Iphigenia, Kampuchea, kea, keyer, Latakia, Leah, Lucia, Nicaea, Nicosia, onomatopoeia, Oriya, Pangaea, Pantelleria, pharmacopoeia, pizzeria, ria, rupiah, sangría, seer, sharia, Shia, skier, spiraea (US spirea), Tanzania, taqueria, Tarpeia, Thea, trachea, trattoria, urea
•sightseer
|
|
|
Cite this article
"Nicosia." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Nicosia." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Nicosia.html "Nicosia." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Nicosia.html |
|
Search over 100 encyclopedias and dictionaries:
HighBeam™ Research, Inc. © Copyright 2012. All rights reserved.
The Encyclopedia.com advertising network includes:
