Cyprus

   Estimated Gypsy population: 4,000 (in both parts of the island). The first recorded presence of Gypsies on the island is from 1468, but it is thought that they were there some years earlier. In 1549 a report described them earning their living from making and selling nails and belts. Now they trade in jewelry and meat skewers, tell fortunes, and sell donkeys. They also travel to different parts of the island to help with the harvest. Many villages and towns have allocated sites where the nomadic Gypsies can stop.

   In 1974 Cyprus was divided into two parts, Greek and Turkish. In that year, Muslim Gypsies fled to the Turkish-held part of the island and Christian Gypsies to the Greek part, whereas previously both groups had circulated freely throughout Cyprus. Shortly after Turkish troops entered Cyprus, rumors circulated that the Turkish government was bringing in large numbers of Gypsies. This proved to be false-the new immigrants were Laz (a Turkic group). The traditional circuit for harvest work in the west of the island for carob and olives and then to the east for grapes has been stopped by the partition.

   All reports suggest that the small Gypsy population in Greek Cyprus lives in comparative harmony with the Greek-speaking population, although there is little social mixing. In Greek they are known by two names: Yieftos (Egyptians) and Tsignos (from atsingani).

   Asylum seekers in the United Kingdom from Turkish Cyprus have stated that the situation there of several thousand Gypsies, known as Gurbet or Çingan, is not as good as in the Greek part. There is a great deal of racism and discrimination in employment. Many tried to seek asylum in Britain to join relatives who came legally as citizens of Cyprus when it was a British colony. In 1994 more than 350 Gypsies sought asylum on one day and all were refused. In 1994, too, some Turkish airline companies refused to sell tickets to Romanies, saying they gave Turkey a bad name by seeking asylum in the West. A well-known personage in the community is painter Asik Mene. The majority of the Gypsies in Turkish Cyprus live in the town of Guzelyurt, in the center of the olive-growing area.