Friendly donkeys have become the centre of attraction for tourists.

Just as the wild horses in Manisa's Spil Mountain contribute to the tourism of the region, in the TRNC friendly donkeys have become the centre of attraction for tourists. In 2008, a group of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots rescued the cute donk

19.06.2023

Rauf Denktaş, the founder and first President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
These beautiful-eyed animals, which he described as "true Cypriots", once travelled to Anatolia
were also exported. Donkeys bought by Çanakkale from Cyprus before World War II, Alanya,
Antalya, Finike, Fethiye, Rhodes, Bodrum, Bodrum, Gulluk, Izmir, Ayvalık
He was taken to Çanakkale.
Cypriot Kamil Pasha was the Governor of Izmir during the Ottoman period and was a master of satire in Turkish literature.
An interesting conversation about the Cypriot donkey takes place between him and the poet Eşref...

CUTE MAFIAS OF DIPKARPAZ
Among the stunning nature of the DipKarpaz region of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
'Cyprus Donkeys', who created a living space for themselves in a free way and became world-famous,
St. Apostolos Andreas, one of the most touristic spots of the island south of Cape Victory
They stop in front of passing vehicles along the monastery route and extort money.
Taking advantage of the fact that tourists pass by this road and waiting on the road in groups
and then sticking their heads through the open window, asking for food.
cute donkeys with eyes; carrots, lettuce, cucumbers, apples and various foods such as
after they've been bribed, they move off the road and allow vehicles to pass.
Perhaps the only wild donkey colony in the world
One of the most important symbols of DipKarpaz and undoubtedly special among the animals of the region
who knows that Cyprus donkeys, which have a place in the world, cut the road to feed themselves.
tourists also stop, open the windows of their vehicles and eat the food they bring with them.
and at the same time loving these warm-blooded, cute and sad animals,
taking photographs. In the world, which attracts great interest of almost everyone, both local and foreign
The free donkeys of Cyprus, which constitute perhaps the only wild donkey colony, offer tourists a different
The image creates unique material for photography enthusiasts. Some from the window of the vehicle
taking a selfie with a donkey that sticks its head out, some people get out of the vehicle and pet it, some people sometimes want to
and the donkey that can't cut the tribute is punished by being kicked by a donkey.
They wanted to be locked up, but they always found a way to escape.
Cyprus donkeys, which come to mind first when it comes to DipKarpaz in TRNC, are also the last in terms of tourism in the region.
extremely important. They are domesticated and used to people roaming freely in the area.
wild donkeys are the centre of attention of holidaymakers and tourists in the region. Unlike donkeys in Turkey
The world-famous Cypriot donkeys, which are never worked, are located in an area of approximately 130 square kilometres.
in the Karpaz National Park. Northern Cypriot authorities have been keeping donkeys in the Karpaz National Park for years.
tried to keep it closed in an area of 2000 hectares surrounded by barriers, but without success.
but the animals always found a way to get out of this area.
Living freely in the Karpaz Peninsula, which has become a paradise for donkeys, 'Cyprus
Donkeys have a sad story; with the start of the Cyprus Peace Operation in 1974
and a significant part of them had to leave their homes behind with their memories and travelled to the south.
Karpaz Greeks, who migrated to the region, also abandoned their animals here under the conditions of the day.
and had to leave. Once loved and cared for by their owners, fed and nurtured.
donkeys sleeping in the roof and used for various jobs (such as carrying loads, ploughing fields)
These sad and lovely donkeys, whose descendants are nowadays free in the wild.
lives. While tourists are happy about this situation, the environment of DipKarpaz, the land of free donkeys
the people in the villages suffer because the donkeys are free to roam wherever they want.

to go down to the fields and see the crops, vegetables, greens, fruits on the trees
When they eat, they damage the crops, the labour and the harvest.
Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots organised together for donkeys
First domesticated in Mesopotamia and Egypt around 3000 BC and spread around the world
two species of donkeys have made their way to the island of Cyprus. DipKarpaz has a donkey
a cute, cute, cute mafia of extortion and bribery for blocking the roads of vehicles.
'Cypriot Donkeys', a large, dark-coloured donkey of European origin with a pale-coloured belly
and smaller and grey-coloured donkeys, which make up about 20 percent of the total donkey population.
There are two different species, the African origin donkey. In 2002, the African
estimated to be between 2,200 and 2,700 in 2009.
By 2008, DipKarpaz had doubled the population of the region. In 2008, a group of Greek Cypriots
and after seeing 10 Turkish Cypriot donkeys shot dead, the donkeys were destroyed.
to save it from becoming a part of the world.Çanakkale purchased "Breeding Cyprus Donkey" from Cyprus
The founder and first President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Rauf Denktaş
These beautiful-eyed animals, which he described as "real Cypriots", once travelled to Anatolia
also exported. In 1938, the total number of donkeys in Turkey was 1 million 490 thousand.
While the number of donkeys was increasing in Turkey, it was decreasing in Çanakkale. On the other hand, the population of the city
multiplied with the incoming immigrants. As the agricultural land to be cultivated increased, the vegetables and
the amount of fruit also increased. The transport of these to the markets was at that time largely
When it is possible with donkeys and mules, it is necessary both to increase the number of mules and donkeys, and to increase the existing number of mules and donkeys.
Çanakkale Governorate in order to breed donkey breeds and to have healthy animals
and the Chief Directorate of Veterinary Medicine requested from the Government for "Breeding Cyprus Donkeys".
In early 1939, five breeding "Stallion Donkeys" were purchased from Cyprus for the city of Çanakkale.
were bought. And these stallion donkeys were first brought to Mersin. Then by sea
Alanya, Antalya, Finike, Fethiye, Rhodes, Bodrum, Bodrum, Gulluk,
Izmir, Ayvalık ports and was taken to Çanakkale and the Veterinary
Directorate's inventory. The donkeys were also bought by Israelis for a period.
but this sale was not approved. Iranian rich people once bought Cyprus
they used to buy a lot of donkeys. Even nowadays, there is a joke going on between them; "We
we used to buy donkeys from Cyprus, now we're trying to get our donkeys
Today, Iranian students are among the 144 students from 144 countries in the TRNC.
Iranians also come to the northern part of the island to live and work. Iranians also come to the northern part of the island to live and work.
Poet Ashraf: "Oh my pasha, don't worry, you have come"
In 1878, when Cyprus was under British Colonial rule, donkeys were domesticated and used in the hills.
that there were rumours that roads were built in the areas where they were travelling
Many Turkish Cypriots also tell an anecdote about these lovely donkeys.
Poet Eşref, the master of satire in Turkish literature, during his duty as Gördes District Governor in Manisa
satirised the corruption he saw with his poems and was rumoured to have founded a secret society.
was sentenced to one year in prison for the charges, after which he was sentenced to live in Izmir
He was kept under surveillance. Due to the fear of being imprisoned with a report again, he travelled to Egypt in 1903.
fled. He lived in France, Switzerland and Cyprus for a while. After the declaration of Constitutional Monarchy II
returned home. One day, he met with his close friend, Grand Vizier Kamil Pasha of Cyprus, the Governor of Izmir at the time.
In one of their conversations, the Governor said, "I am going to Cyprus, if you have a request, I will bring it from there."
asked him. The poet Eşref, rejoicing, said, "Pasha, you see, I am old now, I can go down the slopes
I can't get out, you know the donkeys of Cyprus are hardy. I need a donkey from Karpaz.
If you bring it, I will be in your prayers". The Pasha said, "Aye aye!" and set off the next day. After a while
Among those who welcomed Kamil Pasha, who returned from Cyprus afterwards, at the Galata harbour was Eşref.
there he was. He hoped that the Pasha had brought the donkey he ordered. But Pasha did not bring the donkey.
he forgot. When he caught sight of the poet, he said, "Oh, Eşref, I'm sorry, I forgot to bring what you asked for,
When I saw you, I thought of the donkey!" Ashraf said, "Oh, my pasha, don't worry, you are here.
ya, thank you", he said. Poet Eşref, the master of satire, did it again. But Kamil Pasha said
tolerated satire.

Warrior spirits
The stories of these donkeys are both sad and sad.
smiles and smells of satire. Forced to be abandoned by their Greek Cypriot owners
children and grandchildren of donkeys, the beautiful-eyed cute donkeys of DipKarpaz are a
While these donkeys were once imported to Turkey as breeding donkeys, Iran also bought these donkeys for a period.
and bought it. Israel had a veto on the purchase. Free-spirited donkeys
and as their numbers increased day by day, they found it difficult to find food, so they were forced to go to the fields of the villagers.
they started eating what they planted. The villagers were criticised by the villagers for damaging their crops.
they became unwanted donkeys. They were barricaded by the authorities but
they somehow managed to get rid of these barricades with their fighting spirit. In the vicinity of the National Park
donkeys roaming freely are fed by passing tourists and
is popular. However, in previous years, it was much more common in the area and was used to block the front of cars.
These donkeys are seen in smaller numbers today.
This area, which is the habitat of Dipkarpaz donkeys, has also been declared a 'National Park' and
the whole area is under protection. Cyprus donkeys with beautiful eyes are also struggling to survive in this area.
to the world. Just like the 26 different reptiles that are members of this fauna; the non-poisonous black snake and the deadly
viper snakes with venom, lizards with a wide range of varieties,
rabbits, 350 bird species, seven of which are endemic, hedgehogs and foxes.

There is also the 12 km long Golden Beach, one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.
It is located in the National Park and the sandy beach here is the spawning ground for Caretta turtles.
Area. Karpaz has 1410 flora species and three quarters of the subspecies known in Northern Cyprus.
peninsula and half of them are located in the Karpaz National Park.
Fulya OMAÇ / Dipkarpaz - TRNC