Karaman

Karaman/Karmi
Karaman or Karmi (as some people call it) village situated to the west of Kyrenia, high in the mountains, was abandoned by its Greek-Cypriot inhabitants during the 1974 intervention. Within a short period of time the village became a ghost town and very run down, losing all its' peace and charm. The Council of Ministers decided to put in action an innovative rejuvenation project in 1979 which would bring back to life this small village of amazing natural beauty that has appealed to foreigners for a long time. In 1983 the Ministry of Interior started to lease out the properties on 49 year renewable leases, mainly to people from the UK. Slowly over the next 7 years the infrastructure was improved by adding in new roads, water supplies and electricity. Great importance was shown to keep the character of the village whilst making sure that the new inhabitants had all their modern needs taken into consideration. Solar heaters are not permitted to be placed on the roofs, wooden rafters and rush mats were used for ceilings and height of water tanks is limited to 60cm above roof level in order not to spoil the village atmosphere.