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Tsakkistra
is a Greek village of the province of Nicosia, found in the
geographic region of Marathasa, about 72 kilometers southwest
from the capital. From the city of Morfou that is found at
its northeastern side, it has a distance of about 35 kilometers.
Due to the closing of the main street artery that it was connecting
the village with the city of Nicosia via Xeros- Morfou, as
a result of the Turkish invasion in 1974, Tsakkistra is connected
with the city of Nicosia via Kykkos –Gerakies and the distance
from the city of Nicosia via this street is about 115 kilometers.
Tsakkistra is built at the upper part of the valley of Kambos'
river at an average altitude of 790 meters, with the western
boards being part of the administrative limits of the provinces
of Nicosia - Paphos. Characteristic in the region of the village
is the mountains with the deep valleys, the abrupt sides and
the tall mountaintops from which some of them are higher than
1.000 meters. The tallest of these are Tripylos (1.362 m.)
about 5 kilometers southwesterly of the village at its western
borders, Kykkos (1.318 m.) about 4,5 kilometers at its southern
side and Prophet Elias (1.012 m.) about 1 kilometer at its
northern side. The landscape of the village consists of small
streams that supply the rivers Limnitis, Kambos and Xeros
that move to the gulf of Morfou, and the rivers Diarizos and
Xeros that move to the southerly marine region of Paphos.
From the geological point of view, the administrative extent
of the village consists mainly of hard and durable rocks.
The village of Tsakkistra accepts a high average annual rainfall
of about 800 millimeters. Despite the high rainfall, the mountainous
bas-relief does not allow to have great agricultural growth.
The cultivated ground, that constitutes only 2% of the total
administrative extent of the village, is limited in the valley
of Kambos. In the sides of the valley there are vines of wine
varieties. Lower, around the watercourse of the river, there
are various types of fruit trees, mainly cherry trees and
apple trees and in a smaller extent pear-trees, peach-trees,
plum-trees and "aktinidia". The government owned
forest of Paphos occupies the bigger part of the administrative
extent of the village. The high rainfall accepted by the forest
allowed having rich natural vegetation of pines, "latzies",
"xistarkes", "antrouklies", thyme, "sfevdamnous"
and many other types of trees and bushes.
The little suitable agricultural area was not enough to nourish
the population of the village. For this reason the residents
of Tsakkistra, as well as those of the neighboring village
of Kambos, they were occupied with the treatment of timber
from the around forest region. The logging in Cyprus is related
with the villages of Kambos and Tsakkistra.
Cattle raising do not exist in the village except from the
stockfarming of some goats and poultry.
The village of Tsakkistra is included in the rural growth
plan of the region of Marathasa and it has been profited by
the improvement of the streets in the village.
As far as communication is concerned, the village of Tsakkistra
is connected in its northeast side with the village of Kambos
(about 2 kilometers) and in its southeast side with the monastery
of Virgin Mary of Kykkos (about 6 kilometers) that is found
in its administrative limits.
The village had some demographic fluctuations. In 1881 the
residents were 92 and were increased to 108 in 1891, to 136
in 1901, to 152 in 1911 but were decreased to 149 in 1921
and to 148 in 1931. In 1946 the residents were 282, but they
were decreased to 218 in 1960 and to 188 in 1973. Afterwards
the Turkish invasion in 1974 the village of Tsakkistra accepted
provisionally a number of Greekcypriots displaced mainly from
the plain of Morfou. Thus in 1976 the population of the village
was increased to 342 residents, that however were decreased
to 156 in 1982. In the population of 1982 they are also included
the tenants of the monastery of Virgin Mary of Kykkos.
At the locality where the village is found, it was found initially
the land belonging to the neighboring monastery of Kykkos.
Progressively the workers in this area founded a settlement
and acquired their own fortunes. The foundation of the village
should be placed early in the period of the Ottoman domination.
The name of the village means a place where breaking was taking
place (the verb "tsakkizo" from the Cypriot dialect,
it means I break, but not grind). It is not known why the
village took this name. It exists a version that the residents
were breaking pitchers in their effort to fill them from the
only one tap that existed in the village. Also we suppose
that, when the land belonging to Kykkos existed, it existed
a place where certain works were taking place (e.g. breaking
of olives or almonds or other dry fruits or other products).
Perhaps the name Tsakkistra simply implied a region with difficult
roads for the pedestrians where it existed the danger of injuries
("tsakkistoun"). The path of Kambos-Kykkos around
in the 14th century that passed outside from the village had
a "tsakkisma"(two paths), the one towards Kykkos
and the other towards the village.
The church of the village is dedicated to Agios Nicolaos.
A mural of Virgin Mary is saved in this church. There are
old icons that together with the iconostasis suffered bad
repairs. Certain of the pictures had been transported here
from some devastated chapels of the region, like the one dedicated
to Agios Mamas and the one dedicated to Agia Anastasia. G.
Jeffery (1918) reports also a chapel dedicated to Prophet
Elias, and as it writes, he had seen there some worn out old
pictures.
The neighboring monastery of Kykkos influenced and continues
influencing so much economically and intellectually, the life
of the village.
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