Lapithos

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Lapta (Greek Λάπηθος ( Lapithos, also Lapethos ) ) is a town in the district of Girne in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus with about 5,500 inhabitants. It is located west of Kyrenia and north of Kyparissovouno, the highest mountain of the Pentadaktylos.

Formally, the place also belongs to the district of Kyrenia the Republic of Cyprus.

History

Lapta is in the area of the Iron Age kingdom Lapithos.

In Byzantine times the city was Lapithos bishopric.

In the 10th century Lapta was conquered by Arabs, later it fell to the Ottoman Empire.

In the 18th century the city was abandoned for unknown reasons. The residents wandered about 1.5 km to the foot of a mountain and founded Lapithos.

Lapithos was 1974 after Famagusta and Morphou with 5,540 Greek Cypriot ( at 370 Turkish Cypriot ) inhabitants, the third largest Greek Cypriot community, the Greek-speaking inhabitants were expelled or fled.

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