Kaimakli

Kaimakli (Greek: Καϊμακλί [kaimaˈkli]; Turkish: Kaymaklı or Büyük Kaymaklı [ˈbyjyc kajmakˈɫɯ]) is a large northeastern suburb of Nicosia, Cyprus. Since 1968, it belongs to the Municipality of Nicosia. Its population in 2011 was 11,564. The neighbourhood is divided by the green line, with the northern part of the suburb Kuchuk Kaimakli / Omorfita (Greek: Ομορφίτα [omorˈfita]; Turkish: Küçük Kaymaklı [cyˈtʃyc kajmakˈɫɯ]) lying in the north of the green line.

Kaimakli Καϊμακλί (Greek) (Büyük) Kaymaklı (Turkish)
Kaimakli Location in Cyprus
Coordinates: 35°11′21″N 33°23′1″E
Country	Cyprus
• District	Nicosia District
• Municipality	Nicosia
Government
• Mayor	Kyriakos Papayiannis
Population  (2011)[1]
• Total	11,564
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)

Etymology

Kaimakli derives from the Turkish word "kaymak" which means clotted cream, and by extension, the name of the neighbourhood literally means "with clotted cream". The term also applies to the froth on top of a cup of Turkish coffee. Rupert Gunnis states that the suburb took its name from a farm that produced clotted cream.^[2]

The neighbourhood is divided into two different namesake areas alongside the division with the Green Line, with the part of the neighbourhood in the north, being called Küçük Kaymakli, with Küçük meaning small in Turkish, while Büyük Kaymakli, with Beuyuk or Büyük meaning large remains under the administration of the Republic of Cyprus. These qualifiers were used to differentiate Omorfita/Küçük Kaymaklı from a nearby village which was also known as Kaimakli.^[3]

History

Kaimakli has two churches, Saint Barbara's and Archangel Michael's, which was also a cemetery. In St. Barbara there are some interesting old icons, e.g. one of Virgin Mary dated back to 1763.^[4]

In the 19th and 20th Century the inhabitants of Kaimakli where famed for their building and labouring skills. In 1878 when the British arrived, they found that the Venetians had diverted the river Pediaios north of the city, but the old riverbed still ran through the centre, creating an open sewer and rubbish dump, which sometimes flooded into the surrounding streets. In 1881 the riverbed was covered, the municipality offered ownership of the area covered to labourers prepared to undertake the work. Much of it was done by builders from Kaimakli who thus built Hermes Street. Many of the shops built were then given to builders as a reward for their labour.^[5]

The Cyprus Government Railway (Section 1) was constructed in 1905 and the line passed through Kaimakli towards Nicosia . A Station Halt and siding was then built in 1909 at the corner of what is now Synergasias Street and St. Hilarion. This formed part of the old line and the rail tracks are now buried within the tarmac. The Line and station closed on 31 December 1951.^[6] The Station was restored in 1995 and a Linear Park was constructed on over a kilometre of the old track.^[7]

• 
  Synergasias Street
• 
  Kaimakli Railway Station

Industry

Building in the modern part of Kaimakli

The Regis Milk Industries, a major ice cream producer on the island, has its factory located at 1 Synergasias Street.^[8]

Sport

Achilleas is a Cypriot basketball club founded in 1943, nowadays running basketball, volleyball and table tennis divisions. It has been an integral part of the community in the suburb. The club is named after Achilles (Greek: Ἀχιλλεύς) a legendary figure of the Greek mythology. Also, Kaimakli has three football teams: Omonoia Voreiou Polou, Kaimakli and Morfotikos Kaimakli.^[9]