Skala (neighborhood in Larnaca)

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Place in Larnaca District, Cyprus

Skala

Skala

Location within Cyprus

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Skala

Location within the Eastern Mediterranean

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Skala

Location within the European Union

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Skala

Location within Asia

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Coordinates: 34°55′N 33°38′E﻿ / ﻿34.917°N 33.633°E﻿ / 34.917; 33.633
Country|  Cyprus
District| Larnaca District
Municipality| Larnaca
Population

(2021)

• Total

| 6,599
Time zone| UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)| UTC+3 (EEST)

Skala or Scala (Greek: Σκάλα, Turkish: Iskele) is neighbourhood or quarter of Larnaca, Cyprus and is also commonly used to refer to Larnaca itself.[1] [2] [3]

## Name

[edit]

The ancient city of Kition was a port, but when the modern town of Larnaca grew in its place, the site was about 1⁄2 mi (0.80 km) inland. A new settlement also began on the modern shoreline. This was called “Scala” from the French for landing stage - “place d'escale”. Escale derives from the Italian word Scala - a flight of stairs and by extension a landing stage for ships.[1][4] The same word occurs in Greek and Latin.

## Geography

[edit]

Skala is bordered on the north by the Chrysopolitissa quarter and extends southward to the Larnaca municipal boundary near the airport . Inland it is bordered by the St. Nicholas quarter. The Skala quarter thus encompasses Finikoudes, Larnaca Castle, the old Turkish quarter including the adjacent great mosque, and the Mackenzie Beach area. [5] [6] The urban shopping centre of Larnaca lies within the quarter. The quarter also has the highest proportion of foreign citizens (49% in 2011) and the highest proportion of economically active people of all the quarters of Larnaca.[5]

The quarters (neighbourhoods) of Larnaca showing Skala

Skala 1882 (Kitchener's survey of Cyprus)

## History

[edit]

In the middle ages Skala was called "Les Salines de Saint Ladre", which referred to the nearby salt lake and St. Lazarus, whose reputed burial place was under the church of that name. But Salines was destroyed by the Mamelukes in 1425. Both Skala and Larnaca were described as ruins in 1599. [3]

Later in the Ottoman period, Larnaca began to grow over the remains of the ancient city of Kition, which was by then no longer on the sea and its harbour was silted up. However, Skala also began to grow by the sea by the landing area for ships in the roadstead.[1] In the Ottoman period the two settlements of Larnaca and Skala were quite distinct, however after the cession of Cyprus to Great Britain (1878) there was an increase in population and the gap between the two was gradually filled with modern buildings. [3]

In the 1881 census, the details of Skala and Tuzla (old Larnaca) are recorded separately. Skala had a population of 4,739, while Tuzla had 3094.[7] By 1946, Skala had a population of 7,668 of which 5,050 were Greek Cypriot, 1,988 were Turkish Cypriot and 630 others. Old Larnaca had a population of 7,104 of which 5,555 were Greek Cypriot, 940 were Turkish Cypriot and 609 others.[8] Following intercommunal strife in 1963-64, many Turkish Cypriots in the surrounding area sought refuge in the Turkish Cypriot part of Skala (south of Larnaca Castle, at Lala Moustafa Pasha Street.[9]), as well as in the Turkish Cypriot enclave of Tuzla. During the Turkish invasion of 1974, fierce fighting erupted in Larnaca and the population of the Turkish Cypriot enclaves was eventually resettled in the Turkish occupied areas, especially around Trikomo, which was renamed Iskele, Skala in Turkish.

An article in the Dom Research Center-KURI Journal said that "Orthodox Christian Gypsies were also forcibly moved by the Turkish-Cypriot government from the area around Iskele to form a new community in Yeni Iskele or Skala".[10]

## Quarter

[edit]

As a quarter (Enoria in Greek) of the town of Larnaca, Skala has its own Koinotarch (Community head).[11] The population in 2021 was 6,599. [12]

The area of the quarter is 1,186 hectares (about 4.6 sq.miles) [5]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c "Romantic Cyprus" by Kevork Keshishian, 17th ed., Publ. Romantic Cyprus Publications, Nicosia, 1993 (ISBN 9963-571-25-5; p. 206
2. ^ PRIO web site www.prio-cyprus-displacement.net/default.asp?id=376 retrieved May 2025
3. ^ a b c "A Description of the Historic Monuments of Cyprus" by George Jeffery, Architect. Publ. Government Printing Office, Nicosia, 1918; p. 165
4. ^ An etymological dictionary of the French language, by Auguste Brachet. Publ. Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1873
5. ^ a b c "Diagnostic Report of the city of Larnaka & greater urban area"; Published by Larnaka Municipality, 2013. website: medcities.org/documents/DIAGNOSIS-REPORT-DRAFT-2013-07-30-DEMOGRAPHICS-eng+proofread+version.pdf - retrieved May 2025
6. ^ Larnaca Town map, publ. by Dept. of Lands and Surveys website:portal.dls.moi.gov.cy/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/ΛΑΡΝΑΚΑ-ΚΕΝΤΡΟ-ΠΟΛΗΣ.pdf - retrieved May 2025
7. ^ Census of Cyprus, printed by Eyre and Spottiswoode, London, 1884
8. ^ Census of Cyprus, published by Government Printing Office, Nicosia, 1949
9. ^ Road & Tourist Map of Larnaka. SELAS LTD. ISBN 978-9963-566-92-1.
10. ^ ...spies, deserters and undesirable persons...", the Gypsies of Cyprus, 1322-2003. Dom Research Center -KURI Journal. Spring–Summer 2003.
11. ^ ”Koinotarchs of Municipal areas Larnaca District” (Κοινοτάρχες Δημαρχούμενων Περιοχών Επαρχίας Λάρνακας) in Greek. Ministry of Information website: moi.gov.cy/moi/da/dadmin.nsf retrieved May 2025
12. ^ Census of Cyprus 2021, Table: Population Enumerated by District, Municipality,Community, Quarter, Sex and Age. Statistics website of Cyprus government: cystatdb.cystat.gov.cy. See: cystatdb.cystat.gov.cy/pxweb/en/8.CYSTAT-DB/8.CYSTAT-DB__Population__Census of Population and Housing 2021__Population__Population - Place of Residence/1891114E.px/ Retrieved May 2025

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