Once a popular beach destination for stars like Brigitte Bardot, the resort town of Varosha was abandoned during the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974. Inhabitants never returned to the beach-side resort, which stands just two miles away from the United Nations Buffer Zone separating Greece and Turkey’s administrative areas. The city of Famagusta is currently experiencing a meteoric rise in tourism, but Varosha has remained abandoned since it was hastily evacuated back in the 70s, with model cars still sitting in garages and clothing still hanging in shops. The only visitors today are members of the Turkish military, journalists, scientists, and the occasional UN official.
