Description

The community is situated on a plain area about 15 kilometres south of Nicosia. The village is surrounded by the communities of Deftera, Psimolofou and Ergates. On the east and west side, the village is “hugged” by the Pediaeos river which is the natural border between Anayia and the communities of Psimolofou and Deftera respectively.

As it seems, the village used to be, since the ancient years, a satellite settlement of ancient Tamassos, which is situated about 5 km south.

Occasional archaeological excavations, which took place at the northern side of a small mountainous bank, which overhangs the village, have revealed a small cemetery with Pre-Christian graves which are dated back to the 2nd and 1st century B.C. The funeral gifts, the clay amphorae, the personal belongings and the glass ampoules that were found, are treasured in the Archaeological Museum of Lefkosia.

In the contemporary retrospect of the village, and more specifically in the 19th century, some Turkish-Cypriot families used to live in Anayia. These families abandoned the village in the beginning of the 20th century, after they had sold their houses and properties.

After the Turkish invasion of 1974, a refugee settlement was founded on the northern outskirts of the mountain which overhangs the village. In this settlement settled refugees who came mainly from the Kyrenia District but also from other areas of the occupied Cyprus. This fact contributed enormously to the increase of the population. Therefore, while the residents of the community numbered 235 in 1954, today they number 1400, from which about 50% are refugees.

Up until the 1960¢s, the residents¢ main professions were farming and live stock-breeding. Nowadays, however, these two professions have almost been abandoned. Most of the residents are workers, technicians, employees and free-lancers.