Asu Tozan

This study examines the impact of lifestyle migration on housing development in the coastal regions of Northern Cyprus through a comparative analysis of Girne (Kyrenia) and Iskele (Trikomo). A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining a literature review with semi-structured interviews with real estate and construction stakeholders and structured surveys to analyse housing production patterns, user preferences, and spatial outcomes. The findings indicate that although both regions have experienced rapid housing growth driven by lifestyle-oriented demand, their development trajectories differ markedly. In Girne, housing production has evolved gradually, resulting in a fragmented and heterogeneous settlement structure shaped by mountainous topography and incremental planning practices. In contrast, Iskele has undergone rapid and large-scale development characterized by high-rise, high-density, and more homogeneous residential projects that are facilitated by flat terrain and investment-led growth. The results demonstrate that coastal housing transformation cannot be explained by lifestyle migration alone but emerges from the interaction between migration demand, planning regimes, and market dynamics. By providing a comparative and spatially grounded analysis within an island context characterized by limited planning control, this study offers empirical insights that contribute to debates on residential tourism, second homes, and sustainable coastal planning in Mediterranean regions.

A comprehensive analysis of Cypriot mosque architecture between the 19th and 21st centuries, from the Ottoman and British colonial periods to the present, does not exist. The phase after 1974, after the division of the island into a Turkish Cypriot, predominantly Muslim north and a Greek Cypriot, mainly Christian south, is especially insufficiently studied. This paper aims to interpret Cypriot mosque architecture and its meaning(s) through a comparative analysis, considering cultural, religious, and political developments. Based on an architectural survey and studies about Muslim Cypriot culture, this study investigates formal and spatial characteristics, focusing on the presence/absence of domed plan typologies and of minarets which, as visual symbolic markers, might express shifting cultural-religious notions and/or identities. Inconspicuous mosques without domes and minarets dominate until 1974. However, with the inter-communal tensions in the 1960s, the minaret possibly became a sign of Turkish identity, besides being a cultural-religious marker. This becomes more obvious after 1974 and is stressed by the (re)introduction of the dome. Since the late 1990s, an ostentatious and unprecedented neo-Ottoman architecture emphasizes visible and invisible meanings, and the Turkish presence in Cyprus stronger than before. The new architectural language visually underlines the influences from Turkey that North Cyprus has been experiencing.