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Outdoor photograph showing Hasan Mehmet Pol on a traditional wooden village cart, loaded with sacks full of grain, which is brought to the mill. It is a three-shaft horse cart (at arabası) pulled by two mules; this type of cart was used for carrying heavy loads. After harvesting the crops, threshing and winnowing, the grain was sieved and put into sacks. The sacks were taken to the grinding mill to produce flour. In the background one can see a wooden construction, probably part of an industrial flour mill. The photograph has no date, but most probably it was taken in the 1950s.

In this scene, two men are sitting on the full sacks at the front of the cart; one of them holds the reins with both hands. He wears a white scarf wrapped around his head and falling down to the neck; also a shirt, jacket and pantaloons which stop below the knees; he is barefoot. The other man is similarly dressed but has a peaked hat on his head; he holds a whip in his right hand. There is also a boy on the back of the cart. The mules have decoration on their foreheads.

Source: Ayşe Hures.

Village: Tremetousia (Tremeşe), Mesaoria, Larnaca District.

Studio photograph taken by Fevzi Akarsu in c. 1950. It shows an old man seated on a chair between two young men, probably his sons.

The old man has a short beard and moustache, and his head is covered with a white cap (takke). His jacket is European in style, but the rest is traditional rural dress: a woven white shirt under the jacket, a white sash (kuşak) around the waist, dark pantaloons, baggy on the upper part and becoming narrower lower down, covered in the lower part by heavy leather boots. The peasant boots (çangar çizmesi), the sole of which is covered with special iron nails, are turned inside out on the upper edge, where they are fastened with strings made of goat hair.

The young men both have short hair and moustache and wear two-piece suits made of dark fabric, white shirts and black shoes. The one on the left of the photograph also wears a woollen knitted cardigan. Both rest one hand on the shoulder of the old man.

Photograph of Hasan Mustafa Hacı Damdelen Behlül (1891-1975), taken in 1950. He poses in working clothes, standing in front of a tent, and holding a cigarette in his right hand. His head is covered with a turban of the type worn by a camel driver (deveci sarığı); he wears a white linen shirt with collar and, on top of the shirt, an overshirt with the two front parts crossing above the waist (kavuşturma). He also wears the traditional black knee-breeches (kara dizlik) with a red sash around the waist, and hobnailed top boots.

Source: Mehmet Behlül.

Village: Kioneli (Gönyeli), Nicosia District.

Photograph of Mulla Hüseyin Avcı Ali (1872-1950); it was taken in 1948, in front of a wall built of stone in the lower part with a mudbrick superstructure. The old man stands holding a stick, and his shadow falls on the wall behind him. He wears a jacket made of English cashmere fabric over a white, loom-woven shirt with collar. His knee-breeches (kara dizlik) were also woven in the loom and then dyed black by the dyer (boyacı). Tied around the upper part of the breeches at the waist, there is a girdle of white woven cotton cloth, decorated with pompons (tomtomlu, ponponlu). All these clothes look worn. His village-style leather top boots are tied under the knee with strings made of goat hair. In this case, as in many other examples, the western-style jacket is combined with traditional dress items.

Source: Veli Avcı.

Village: Kioneli (Gönyeli), Nicosia District.

Photograph of Arabacı Hüseyin Mıstıkoğlu. He is standing on the front part of a traditional wooden horse cart (at arabası) and holds the reins of the mule which pulls the cart. The cart is on a country road. Fields and trees are seen around; there is also a car on the road far behind. The mule bears the traditional harness, decorated with a series of small bells hanging from a leather strap on the chest. The cart is fully loaded with stacked up sheaves made of the cut wheat or barley. It is the time after harvesting, and the sheaves of the crops are taken to the threshing floor.

The cart driver (arabacı) wears a white shirt and long trousers with a belt at the waist; he has also a white scarf wrapped around his head for protection from the hot summer sun. His name Arabacı, indicates his profession.

Source: Aşkın Derviş.

Village: Kioneli (Gönyeli), Nicosia District.

Photograph of Hüseyin Mıstıkoğlu, born in 1909. The photograph was taken in 1948. He is shown ploughing a field outside the village of Kioneli (Gönyeli); the houses of the village with some palm trees and other trees in the gardens, are seen in the background. Hüseyin drives an iron plough drawn by two mules. The animals bear the traditional harness decorated with a series of bells under the neck; the plough is connected with the harness by iron chains. The man stands behind the plough guiding it with his right hand, and holds a long stick in his left hand. He wears the typical farmer’s dress: a white headscarf (gölgelik from gölge = shade) protects him from the sun; over a white shirt (gömlek) he has a grey cotton jacket (sakko/sakgo = coat, loose jacket), matched with farmer’s trousers (çiftçi pantalonu) and leather knee boots (çangar çizmesi); the boots are tied on the upper part, under the knees, with a string made of goat hair (keçi kılından örme). Around the waist he has a leather belt with buckle. Next to Hüseyin stands his three-year-old son, İdris; he wears a dress over a white blouse, the sleeves of which are exposed, white stockings and leather shoes. In the past boys used to wear dresses until their circumcision ceremonies. On the ground between the two, there is a seed basket (zembil) made of plaited palm leaves.

Source: İdris Mıstıkoğlu.

Village: Kioneli (Gönyeli), Nicosia District.

Copy of an old photograph, a street photograph taken in 1942. It shows three men. The one sitting in the middle is a gypsy (gurbet or roman), as is also the person standing on the right side. The third person, on the left, is Polili Hasan Dayı, and is wearing British army style short khaki pants and stockings, also a white short-sleeved shirt and modern laced shoes.

The sitting man is İsmail Rayit. He wears a work shirt (işbir gömlek), dark-coloured (black) baggy trousers (şalvar or vráka) and Frankish knee boots. The man to the right is Abdıraman Aşık Hüsein, born in 1912 (information taken in 1997). He wears a work shirt (işbir gömlek), a cloth belt (kuşak/guşak) and trousers. He was married eleven times, the first time at the age of 18.

Source of information: Hüseyin Baritogdo, 1997.

Street photograph of a young man with moustache. He is dressed in a mixed style, wearing a European jacket over a traditional costume. It consists of a white woven shirt, blue, knee-long baggy trousers (şalvar) and a sash (tarabulus kuşak) around his waist, from which is hanging the chain (köstek) of his watch. He also wears ankle boots (gonçlu potin) and knitted stockings with flower patterns on white background. His fez is wrapped in a scarf (yemeni) decorated with lace. Attached to the lapel of his jacket is a carnation, and in his breast pocket a handkerchief. He also wears two rings, one on each hand.

Studio photograph showing two young men, Hüseyin İsmail and Halil Ahmet, standing close together, both with short hair in kahkül style and Hitler-type moustache. The man on the right of the photograph (Halil Ahmet) wears a European-style suit made of striped fabric, a white shirt and a patterned tie. A white handkerchief appears in his breast pocket. His shoes are also western-style laced shoes. The other man (Hüseyin İsmail) wears a European jacket over his white shirt, in the opening of which a vest (fanella) is to be seen underneath. The rest of his dress is traditional. He wears çuha şalvar made of light blue broadcloth and decorated with black patterns. Around his waist he has a colourful silk sash (ipek tarabulus kuşak). His white woven stockings come up to the knees where they meet the ends of the şalvar. His footwear consists of black elastic-sided ankle boots (gonçlu potin) with white upper parts. A carnation is attached to the lapel of the jacket, and the breast pocket holds a handkerchief and a cigarette. Both men have cigarettes behind their ears, expressing their desire to look flamboyant.

Street photograph showing two young men with short hair and moustaches, standing side by side. As in No. 043, the one on the right of the photograph is dressed in European style, wearing a jacket of dark fabric over a white shirt, and light-coloured trousers. Dark leather laced shoes complete his appearance. The man on the left wears a light-coloured European-style jacket and shirt, over black knee-breeches (kara dizlik), a dark-coloured sash (kuşak) around his waist, knitted white stockings with linear patterns and laced ankle boots (gonçlu potin). The stockings come up to the knees, where they are tied with narrow bands.

Both men have the same badge on their chest, inscribed with an A and the number 4000 underneath.