Akanthou

Akanthou (Greek: Ακανθού; Turkish: Tatlısu) is a village in Famagusta District, on the northern coast of Cyprus. Akanthou is under the de facto control of Northern Cyprus. As of 2011, it had a population of 1,459.

History

The first settlement that can be linked with the modern-day Akanthou was in the Kouphes area, 2 miles to the northwest of Akanthou. Akanthou was established between the 7th and the 10th century at the place where the river passing through the village meets the sea. Following the Mamluk Arab raids in Cyprus, the coastal location was abandoned and the village moved to its present-day inland location. The name Akanthou, according to local tradition, comes from the name of a thorny bush present in the area, which is said to have provided protection for a beautiful woman, Anthousa, who the Arab sailors tried to take captive.

Akanthou was recorded to be under the fiefdom of a nobleman called Sir John Gorap in 1385. It was the place of landing for Ottoman troops under Çıfıtoğlu Ahmet Pasha that came to Cyprus to suppress the rebellion headed by Boyacıoğlu Mehmet Agha against Ottoman rule between 1680 and 1687/88. General Louis Palma di Cesnola wrote in 1877 that the village relied on its production of halloumi. Around 2 million halloumis were produced each year in the caves around the village and exported to cities abroad such as Smyrna, Port Said and Alexandria.