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Photograph of Mehmet Ağa, servant of the lady Hacı Pembe Hanım. It was taken in the garden of the Foto Fevzi Akarsu studio, a home studio, in 1926/27 (information from Kadir Kaba). The bearded old man is sitting on a village chair in front of a painted background showing a field with trees at the back and some flowers in front. The edge of the rolling background can be seen on the ground. Mehmet wears a dark-coloured skullcap (takke) under a thin white cotton turban (dülbend). His shirt is also white, woven in the loom with thin cotton yarn, and has a short upright collar. From its pocket on the right side hangs the chain of his watch. The black, worn breeches (dizlik) stop below the knees. His dark, sun-tanned skinny legs are bare, as he wears no stockings under his shoddy, rawhide sandals (çarık).

Source: Nezaket Erbaş, Nicosia.

Photograph of Adem Mıstık (nickname of Mustafa) Hasan (1907-1934). It was taken in the Foto Fevzi Akarsu studio around 1926. The young man, with short hair and a thin moustache, is posing standing in front of a painted rolled background, the same as that of No. 025. His right hand is resting on the top of a low corner table decorated with a bunch of flowers. He is wearing a headdress referred to as an Arab fez (arap fesi), a white silk-cotton shirt with a double buttoned collar, and over the shirt a three-buttoned jack­et of black fabric, decorated with a carnation on the collar. This western-style jacket is matched with white baggy knee-breeches. Around his waist is a red sash and above it is tied a piece of spotted cotton textile. His colourful stockings, which reach up to the knee-breeches, are knitted with the traditional five-needle technique; the pattern consists of horizontal series of checkers/squares (box-design, kutulu; kutu = small box). He also wears black leather elastic-sided ankle boots (lastikli gonçlu potin).

The photograph was donated by Hüseyin Mıstıkoğlu.

Village: Kioneli (Gönyeli), Nicosia District.

Street photograph of two young boys, Kemal Mustafa Damdelen (1912-1964) and Mehmet Paşa, taken by an anonymous photographer around 1925. The taller boy, Kemal Mustafa Damdelen, wears a traditional Ottoman fes (fez, turk. Osmanlı durulla fes) with a yemeni (headscarf) around its lower part. The yemeni (scarf) is ornamented with a lace reproducing the carnation (karanfil) motif all around the edges. His white shirt is made of loom-woven silk fabric (Turkish güğül, from the Greek koukkoúllin = cocoon; the fabric made of yarn from pierced cocoons is called koukkoulláriko). The dizlik (knee-breeches) are also white, loom-woven with double cotton thread. Around the waist he wears a kırmızı guşak (red sash, turk. kırmızı kuşak) also woven on the loom and dyed by local dyers; below the red sash, around the waist, is tied a second yemeni (scarf), decorated with the carnation lace pattern. The çorap (stockings), which come up to the knees, are hand-knitted, ornamented with the tooth pattern repeated in horizontal series on a white background. His black shoes are decorated with a bow-tie. The second boy, Mehmet Paşa, who stands in the same posture next to Kemal, is similarly dressed. He wears a traditional Ottoman fes (fez, turk. Osmanlı durulla fes), and a loom-wo­ven kırmızı guşak (red sash, turk. kırmızı kuşak) around the waist. The shirt is white as are also the dizlik (knee-breeches), which are made of dimido (dímito in Greek is dimity, a strong cotton fabric woven on the loom with four heddles). The çorap (stockings) are hand-knitted and under the knees they are tied with a plain strap with tassels. The kundura/kuntura shoes are black and decorated with a toka (buckle). 

Photograph of Şah Mehmet (1900-1938), taken in 1925. It is a ‘while-you-wait’ pho­tograph with an unrolled painted background showing a tall column on the left behind the young man. He poses seated on a traditional wooden chair, with legs crossed, the right over the left leg. His left hand grasps the upper end of a stick, while the right hand is resting on the left and holds a cigarette between the fingers. He has a short, trimmed moustache and his hair is completely covered by a tall Ottoman fes (fez). He wears a white gömlek (shirt) made of raw silk cloth (sadakor); it has full sleeves with broad cuffs and a turned-out collar. The silk, colourful şalvar (sash) around his waist is from Tripoli (tarab­lus turk. trablus), as are also his şalvar (baggy breeches). The heavily pleated şalvar (baggy breeches) seems to have been made of blue broadcloth and is richly decorated with applied braids made of twist­ed silk threads, forming a wickerwork pattern and solid curving motifs ending in spirals. The decoration is especially thick at the edges of the leg openings around the knee. This kind of şalvar (baggy breeches) is part of the typical attire of the Turkish townsman in Cyprus, and, as shown by several surviving examples, it is usually accompanied with a similarly decorated waist­coat. Şah Mehmet is also wearing long çorap (stockings) with lozenge-shaped designs (baklava) and brand new, gıcırdaklı gonçlu potin (creaking, elastic-sided, leather ankle boots). From his belt hangs a silver chain, longer than two yards (arşın = Turkish measure of length of about 28 inches, 68cm, now obso­lete) with a watch suspended from it.

Photograph of two young men, taken in 1924. Derviş Çomunoğlu (1900-1991), who is presented sitting on a village chair, was a teacher by profession. He wears a casual, sport jacket over a white gömlek (shirt) with collar and a tie, cashmere trousers, dark çorap (stockings) and white front lace shoes, usually for summer wear. He has a typical posture, with his hands on the right leg which is crossed over the left, and looks stern. The other man, standing next to Derviş with his right hand resting on the back of the chair, is Ömer Hasan Sinekci, four years younger (1904-1995). He wears a tailor-made modern shirt with tie and a western-style waistcoat with four buttons. Surprisingly, the lower part represents typical traditional attire: white pleated şalvar (baggy breeches) made from a loom-woven cotton fabric, gathered at the waist and supported by a red guşak (sash turk. kuşak). Thick, knitted çorap (stockings) come up to the knees and are combined with light-col­oured sandals decorated with buckles on the front. Both men have short-cut hair and a moustache.

Photograph of Nuri Ahmet (Erbaş), born in 1908. The photograph was taken in the early 1920s, when he started high school (rüşti, turk. rüşdiye). It is a studio photograph with a painted background showing a balcony with a column and looped-back tasseled cur­tains. The young man is standing with his right hand resting on a corner table. On top of the table is a decorated flowerpot with roses. He wears a plain Ottoman fes (fez), a gömlek (shirt) with collar and a tie, as well as a white woollen knitted waistcoat. The upper part of the attire is completed with a ceket (jacket) made of raw güğül (silk, turk. güvül) and bearing a school pin on the collar. His trousers are made of şal (loom-woven homespun woollen cloth). Around his waist he bears a kolan palaska (broad cartridge belt bandolier) with buckle. The chain of the watch is also visible. He wears front lace gonçlu potin (ankle boots).

Photograph of Kunturacı Mus­tafa Yeşiltaş with his family. It is a studio photograph, as shown by the painted background with drawn-back curtains, and was taken in 1922. Mustafa and his wife Emine are sitting with their children on their knees, the girl in her mother’s lap and the young boy on his father’s left knee. In the centre of the photo­graph, between the pair, is standing Nuri, Emine’s brother. Mustafa, the older man, wears an Ottoman fes (fez), a loom-woven cotton gömlek (shirt), şalvar, (baggy trousers) made of broadcloth (çufa turk. çuha) and deco­rated with spirals and other curvi­linear motifs of twisted black braids sewn onto it, a polychrome silk guşak (sash, turk. kuşak) The silk polychrome sash around his waist was imported from Tripoli (tarab­lus turk. trablus) around the waist, white çorap (stockings) tied below the knee, and black elastic gus­set ‘Cambridge’ shoes. As an accessory he has a köstekli saat (watch with chain). Emine Hanım wears the typical for Muslim women long black dress with çarşaf (veil this is a two- or three-piece); the veil covers the head and part of the forehead, and the front part of the çarşaf has buttons. Her front lace shoes or boots are also black. The young girl, her daughter Pembe, wears a yemeni (headscarf) ornamented with handmade lace with the motif of narcissus (nergiz) all around the edges; also a dress made of white cotton flannel cloth (bazen kumaş), handmade çorap (stockings) with tassels and bow-ties (püsküllü çorap fiyonklu) and white shoes, probably with a strap over instep, or boots. The young boy, Salih Yeşiltaş, wears a dress made of loom-woven striped cloth (alaca), hand-knitted lastikli çorap (elastic stockings) and button bar shoes. Nuri Erbaş wears an Ottoman fes (fez), a gömlek (shirt) made of loom-woven coarse cloth, probably made of cotton and silk (idare, in Gr.C.itares = fine cotton yarn, silk-cotton fabric with warp of fine cotton yarn; see Papademetriou 1991, 125), striped trousers of three quarters length, a white jacket and gonçlu potin (ankle boots).  

Photograph of Mustafa Efendi Arif Salih, Muhtar of the village of Mora. It was tak­en in the Foto Necdet Studio about 1923. Mustafa is sitting on a chair with his right leg crossed over the left and holds a riding kırbaç (whip) with both hands. He has short hair and a thick moustache with upturned ends. He wears an Ottoman fes (fez, turk. Osmanlı durulla fes) with a tassel. Over the white gömlek (shirt), of which only the collar around the neck is visible, is a libade (short quilted jacket) with decorative patterns (libade in Turkish also means a broadcloth coat worn in rainy weather). From his neck down to the waist hangs a köstek saat (watch chain). Around his waist is a silk guşak (sash, turk. Kuşak) imported from Tripoli (tarab­lus turk. trablus) – denoting that he is a wealthy person. His dizlik (knee-breeches) are black (kara) and the legs are covered with handmade striped çorap (stockings). The attire is complemented with yarım lastikli gonçlu (turk. Konçlu) potin (leather elastic-sided ankle boots with medium height heel). Mustafa was a very powerful person and this is reflected in the photograph.

Photograph of Mustafa Efendi Arif Salih, Muhtar of the village of Mora. It was tak­en in the Foto Necdet Studio about 1923. Mustafa is sitting on a chair with his right leg crossed over the left and holds a riding kırbaç (whip) with both hands. He has short hair and a thick moustache with upturned ends. He wears an Ottoman fes (fez, turk. Osmanlı durulla fes) with a tassel. Over the white gömlek (shirt), of which only the collar around the neck is visible, is a libade (short quilted jacket) with decorative patterns (libade in Turkish also means a broadcloth coat worn in rainy weather). From his neck down to the waist hangs a köstek saat (watch chain). Around his waist is a silk guşak (sash, turk. Kuşak) imported from Tripoli (tarab­lus turk. trablus) – denoting that he is a wealthy person. His dizlik (knee-breeches) are black (kara) and the legs are covered with handmade striped çorap (stockings). The attire is complemented with yarım lastikli gonçlu (turk. Konçlu) potin (leather elastic-sided ankle boots with medium height heel). Mustafa was a very powerful person and this is reflected in the photograph.

Photograph of Osman Karahasan, born in 1902 and still living in 1994. It was taken in the studio of an anony­mous Greek photographer, most probably in Famagusta, in the year 1921. The photograph was sent to the fiancée of Osman as a souvenir. The young man stands in front of an artificial, painted background which depicts a landscape with palm trees. In his right hand he holds a folding kırma baston (walking stick), while the elbow is resting on a corner table, the front side of which bears an elaborate relief decoration showing a mask of a lion’s head with open mouth. On the table is a flow­erpot decorated with pie-crust garlands and plastic animals, a rare example of a type of pottery which was made exclusively in Varoshia. Osman has short hair and moustache, and wears a plain Ottoman fes (fez, turk. Osmanlı durulla fes). His loom-woven gömlek (shirt) is made of silk (sadakor) which forms vertical wrinkles in the weaving (due to partly looser weft); around the neck, under the collar, he wears a kırmızı mendil (red kerchief). The dark-coloured jacket is of western style and has a silver pin on the collar; a silk handkerchief shows in the left breast pocket. The şalvar (pleated breeches) are made of broadcloth and close just below the knees, where they meet the long çorap (stockings). Along the sides the şalvar (breeches) are decorated with applied black braids which form curvilinear patterns on a light, most probably light blue background. Origi­nally such şalvar (pleated breeches) were matched with a similarly decorated waistcoat, also made of blue broadcloth. The çorap (stockings) are white and decorated with lozenge (lokumlu) patterns. The kundura (shoes, turk. kuntura) are also white (beyaz) and provided with high heels. Around his waist is a loom-woven guşak (sash, turk. kuşak) with a silk kese (purse) hidden in it.