Enosis, meaning union, is the political belief and movement that seeks to join Cyprus with Greece. I was aware of the concept before coming to Cyprus but I was interested to see that enosis was represented by a flag (blue-and-white flag pictured). I saw this particular flag flying in Nicosia right along the Green Line, and I didn’t recognize it. After some brief research, I found out it was meant to represent Cypriot unity with Greece. It was interesting to see so many of them in Nicosia right next to the Green Line.In my research for the enosis flag, I also came across a proposed flag for a united Cyprus which was proposed by a committee made up of both Greek and Turkish Cypriots. It’s a fairly simple flag with a small blue stripe at the top, a red stripe at the bottom, and a larger yellow section separating them. The blue and red are meant to represent the two largest ethnic groups in Cyprus, blue for Greek Cypriots and red for Turkish Cypriots. The yellow is a symbol of Cypriot’s abundance of copper which has shoved the island in historical importance for thousands of years (The name “Cyprus” could be traced back to the Sumerian word for copper). Unfortunately, the flag was rejected by Greek Cypriots, and both halves of the island continue to use their own flags.

audrey