Historical Facts

A thoroughly Turkish-Cypriot village of the Limassol district. The village is not mentioned in any sources of the Mediaeval era; perhaps because it was established later on during the Ottoman era or perhaps because during the Mediaeval era -if it did exist -it had another name.

From an early stage the Turkish-Cypriot inhabitants named the village Muttukaya which means cheerful rock. There is a probability that the name Muttagiaka was a corrupt version of the Turkish name of the village used by the Greeks. The opposite is also probable because -according to another interpretation -the name of the village was purely Greek, a compound made out of the words miti (= nose / edge, pronounced moutti in the Cypriot dialect) and agyia which means road. Thus, because of the position it is build upon, village at the nose (edge) of the road.

In the latter case, that is if we accept the name of the village to be Greek, then the village must be older than the Ottoman era during which it simply was turned to a Turkish one.

Geographical Facts

Muttagiaka is situated 9 kilometres north-east of the city of Limassol and it is build at an average altitude of 65 metres, the landscape having an inclination toward the sea which is found on the south.

Natural elements and agriculture

Muttagiaka receives an average annual rainfall of about 450 millimetres. Grains, (table) grapevines, citrus fruits, olives, locust and almond trees were cultivated in the area during older times. There are also several uncultivated areas seized by wild vegetation.

Stockbreeding

Before the 1974 Turkish invasion, the Turkish-Cypriot stockbreeders of Muttagiaka raised sheep, goats, cattle, cows, and poultry.

Muttagiaka today

After the 1974 Turkish invasion the Turkish-Cypriot inhabitants of Muttagiaka, swept over by the wave of population exchange, abandoned their village and transferred -along with other Turkish-Cypriots from the non-occupied area -to the occupied area. The transfer occurred in 1975. After that, several Greek-Cypriot refugees coming from all of the occupied districts,settled in Muttagiaka; they numbered 283 in 1976 and 593 in 1982.

There are 10 Self-Help Housing Settlements in the surrounding area which house about 3000 refugees, and now an eleventh settlement is being created.

Regarding transportation today Muttagiaka connects on the South with the new Nicosia-Limassol highway and on the West with the Germasogia municipality. Due to the short distance from the city of Limassol the majority of the inhabitants is employed in personal/private enterprises. At the same time several of the inhabitants maintain within the community small industries, workshops, and some are occupied with stockbreeding and agriculture. As far as stockbreeding is concerned, sheep, goats, cows, rabbits and poultry are raised in the Pastoral zone of the village. A Handcrafts & Small Industries zone will also be created very soon so that the inhabitants will be able to move their workshops and small industries there.