The Museum of Barbarism, housed in the former home of Maj. Nihat İlhan, a Turkish military doctor whose wife and three children were killed during the 1963 “Bloody Christmas” attacks by Greek Cypriots, has preserved the memory of that tragedy for 62 years. Restored by Türkiye’s Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA), the museum in Lefkoşa displays personal belongings of the İlhan family and photographs documenting the violence against Turkish Cypriots.
Visitor Sultan Kargı described being deeply moved, saying, “We don’t know what suffering those before us endured to reach this point.” Tour guide Ulviye Mehtap recounted how Greek Cypriot EOKA militants raided the home, killing İlhan’s family as they hid in the bathroom. “When Major İlhan learned of the tragedy, he only said, ‘May the homeland live long,’” she said. The museum, renovated in 2022 with digital exhibits, continues to attract local and international visitors, serving as a reminder of Turkish Cypriots’ resilience.
Yaprak Mutlu – Lokman Sarıkurt