Ledra Street Checkpoint

Ledra Street is a major shopping street linking the southern and northern portions of Nicosia. The street was closed after the Turkish invasion of 1974 and remained so for 34 years.

It is the site of the former Ledra Street barricades, one Greek and one Turkish (at the other end), with views across the United Nations buffer zone. The barricade symbolised the division of Nicosia between the Greek south and Turkish north. The only divided capital city after 1989 and the fall of the Berlin Wall. It was removed in April 2008 and Ledra Street became the sixth crossing between the southern and northern parts of Cyprus.

Prior to its removal there was an observation platform which allowed tourists to look into the UN buffer zone and across the green line to the Turkish barriers at the end of the road. Photographs being allowed depended on the soldier on duty at the time. My visit in 1999 (details here) stands in sharp contrast to my fellow border enthusiast Jan Krogh’s visit in 2012 here. I was looking forward to revisiting this point as part of the IBRG CYBEX-24 expedition and see what changes had taken place.

Click on the above image for the Google Map Location

There was a clear contrast between the two sides, the south was more affluent, with western stores and high rise buildings. The north in contrast felt like stepping back in time and in some ways out of Europe and into Asia, with small businesses bazaars, mosques and spires.

In 2024 the process is very straightforward and we went through the checkpoint several times. Passports are scanned but not stamped (although the TRNC officials will if asked – having a TRNC in your passport does not cause any difficulties especially if it is sandwiched between and entry and exit stamp from the Republic of Cyprus).

The South

Looking down towards the border. Buffer Zone gate on the right.

Looking back from the buffer zone towards the South passport control.

At night

The Buffer Zone

After following the buffer zone for a few hours, it was strange that it was not immediately apparent, with the restored buildings (or at least facades).

It is quite possible that most tourists do not even noticed the narrow avenue that transects the Ledra Street corridor from west to east. On each side there are locked gate and warning signs and it is not possible to see very much. Looking up shows some traces of the 50 year old conflict which has still to be sanitised in this most symbolic of places.

Then in a moment you are through it, no lengthy walk as with the other pedestrian crossing at Ledra Palace with its wide views of the buffer zone and 10 minute walk between checkpoints – details here.

Access to the buffer zone – looking west.

The North

After crossing the narrow buffer zone, unmarked but identifiable due to the gates and the edges of the building, there is a long wooden covered corridor leading to the TRNC checkpoint.