The study investigates Greek and Ottoman archival material, and presents
to the reader hitherto unexplored aspects of the history of Nicosia
during the last century of Ottoman rule on the island. It also clarifies
issues concerning its history in earlier centuries, reaching as far back
as 1571, the year of its submission to the Ottomans. Consequently, it
lays new foundations for a critical reevaluation of some opinions that
have been prevalent until now regarding the topography of the city (the
number and names of its districts), the history of the ethnoreligious
communities (Greeks, Turks, Armenians, Maronites) that habitated the
city, already from the Frankish and Venetian era. The first volume is a
historical study that exposes the reader to the research results of a
systematic treatment of the population catastrophes of the Ottoman
period, which are presented with rich annotation in the two following
volumes of the work. The Greek and Ottoman sources published there make
accessible valuable material for anybody interested in studying thus far
unexplored topics related to the history of Cyprus.