July 25th, 2010 | 
Author: Lapta Village – Cyprus
. Lapta is situated in an area of Northern Cyprus that has the most rainfall on the Girne Mountains and is covered with a thick layer of vegetation; in addition to this because it is situated on a slope that faces the sea it is open o the moderate climate influences of the sea.
According to the last census in 1996 the population of Lapta is made up of 1860 men and 1726 women Equalling to a total of 3586 inhabitants. The latest counts conducter by Laptas municipality however have revealed a number of over 6000 inhabitants and a amount of approximately 2000 houses including those belonging to foreigners. Laptas natural beauty and unique flora has led many British German and other foreign visitors to select it as a place to live. Furthermore an aver age of 22000 tourist stays at lodging establishments of the area every year. Its vicinity to the north shore and the high earnings of its population also play an important role. The majority of Laptas residents are civil servants and workers. Others are employed in tourism or work in livestock breeding farming fishing and other small industrial establishments and trades.
Cypruss first hotel is Gnnasir Hotel which was opened in Lapta in 1924. ?t was a 3storey building with 14 rooms and was constructed by Hseyin Gnnasir a Turkish entrepreneur who had great financial troubles building the hotel and was thus forced to sell it. The ministry responsible for housing issue of the time bought the hotel to avoid it being bought by the Greeks. Nowadays it still belongs to the ministry but remains vacant.The development of tourism took place during the II. World War. It was during this period that many wealthy families from Nicosia started to move to Lapta. It was the safest place to be thus the local high school war constructed and run in Lapta for 4 or 5 years. The gaming house and mental hospital were also moved to Lapta. The ?slands most privileged and wealthy families sent their children to the school in Lapta and thus the town soon attained a very fine reputation. Its beauty and uniqueness resounded throughout the land. At the time Lapta had many rivers and rich vegetation including fruit and vegetables.
Furthermore it was by the sea side had clear waters and fresh air. Word about Lapta started to spread and thus it was opened to tourism. Bamboo umbrellas were fabricated and placed on the beaches of Lapta. They were rented out to those coming there for the summer. Soon restaurants hotels and other establishments were built and Lapta turned into what it is now.Lapta with many rivers and a large amount of mulberry trees has a large amount of silkworms. These insects feed on mulberry leaves and grow abundantly in Lapta. In the 1960s they were bred by Laptas Greek and Turkish Cypriot residents as they were used to produce silk in small establishments in Lapta. Generally two types of threads can be obtained from the worm; pure silk and another impure thread. The impure thread is thich and can be used to knit sweaters. Silk is a very fine thread and may be used to produce a very soft and fine fabric.
At the end of the 1960s after the increase in the production of artificial fabrics silkworm breeding slowly decreased. Nowadays it is almost nonexistent. However if one believed there was a market for silk worm breeding there are many mulberry trees in Lapta. The mulberry tree is a very resistant tree; it does not dry out when cut and heals itself. However there are only very few people interested in silkworm breeding today.Laptas bitter oranges oranges lemons and tangerines were very famous. Laptas sweet oranges ripened 20 days earlier than those from other regions and its lemons an entire month earlier. In 1906 when the Ottomans fought in the Balkan War the Ottoman Empire erected customs boundaries around Istanbul. The highest taxes had to be paid by Cypriot Lemonade and Orange Jam Makers. This shows the importance the Lapta region had for the Ottoman Empire. If we look at Lapta today we sadly realize that most citrus tree areas have been replaced by cement buildings and houses. Growing citrus fruit is not as profitable as it used to be thus the area used for cultivation has decreased. Laptas Turks and Greeks used to make handicrafts baskets and pliable shopping bags out of bamboo myrtle twigs and date leaves. These plants grew abundantly in Laptas river beds and so they were used to produce beautiful handiworks. They were then sold on the entire island. Laptas blacksmiths and their products were very famous in the past. The older generation of Cyprus still talks about the special Lapta pocketknife. The best ?ron ploughts were made by Turkish and Greek blacksmiths in Lapta.
The best sickles knives pocketknives choppers and axes were made in Lapta. Iron was also forged to produce decorative ornaments. These blacksmiths were abundant in Lapta and their handiworks were sold on the entire island. However also this profession just like the wickerwork has become almost extinct. During British rule the island experienced a plague of mice damaging the villagers gardens. Thus the British officials brought a large snake type to the island.They were released in the regions of Poli Paphos Akatu and Lapta.
Northern Cyprus Hotels They soon reproduced and grew up to a size of 3.5 meters. However there are no such snakes in Lapta today. Furthermore camels and mules were important pack animals in the 1920s. they disappeared in the 1960s. Lapta was constructed on a lime stone mine.
The town is elevated at two points the first elevation is by the Ayi Anastasia Church and the second is next to the municipality. These yellow stones can be found all along the coastline reaching from Lapta to Kar??yaka.
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