For millennia, the island of Cyprus has been a significant dividing line between the worlds of the East and the West, a contested area between Islamic peoples and the Christian West. This tumultuous history is evident not only in the current division of the island into a Greek-controlled and a Turkish-controlled part but also in numerous historical remnants that have been preserved over centuries and millennia.

In the first millennium, it was Arab invaders who ravaged Greco-Roman cities like Salamis, later Constantia, as well as Paphos. Later, even the heavily fortified cities of Famagusta and Kyrenia had to succumb to the Muslim conquerors.

Numerous structures bear witness to these power struggles. The remains of destroyed Gothic churches, a Crusader castle with Byzantine elements, apostolic sites, the ruined Bellapais Monastery, and even a cathedral consecrated in 1326 and later converted into the Lala Mustafa Mosque in 1571 are all prime examples. The barn-roof churches in the Troodos Mountains, some up to a thousand years old, were deliberately designed inconspicuously to hide them from conquerors. They reflect a deeply rooted Christian tradition that resisted the changing tides of power. A United Nations-supervised border still divides the capital Nicosia, proving that this history is far from over.

This photographic project takes the viewer on a visual journey to the most impressive testimonies to the turbulent history of this fascinating island.