1975 Photo Contest, Photo Stories, 1st prize
Photographer

Tommy Mardell

Aftonbladet

01 July, 1974

An attack on Ledra Palace Hotel during conflicts between Greek and Turkish Cypriots over control of the island, following the Turkish invasion of Cyprus on 20 July 1974. Greek soldiers were accommodated at the hotel while Turkish planes were bombing the building. The Turkish invasion was a response to the military coup d'état by the Cypriot National Guard and the Greek military junta five days earlier. When the junta in Greece collapsed in August 1974, Turkey had managed to capture about 40% of the island until a ceasefire was arranged. The ceasefire line became the United Nations Buffer Zone, commonly referred to as the Green Line. The Ledra Palace Hotel, once one of the most luxurious hotels in Nicosia, fell within the boundaries of this zone. The Ledra Palace Hotel now serves as the headquarters for divisions of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus and other international organizations.

About the photographer

Tommy Mardell

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