Ozanköy - famous for its olives, carobs and lemons

Ozanköy is one of the most beautiful villages in the foothills of the Kyrenia Range and the continued charm of this village is due to it's closeness with nature. Its wide residential area is surrounded by acres of olive, carob and lemon trees.   Moreover the gardens of the village houses have a variety of trees and plants, thus completing a wonderful picture of beautiful Cypriot landscape.
Olives, carobs and lemons are considered to be important assets for the villagers. The main profit-making economic item is the olive and olive oil. The village has its own oil press which works constantly to produce pure olive oil for the sales market. The Carob harvest also enables the production of 'PEKMEZ" Syrup.
The lemons of Ozanköy have a very special aroma, from which lemonade is made from, all Cypriots love to make recipes at home with olive oil, pekmez and lemon juice.
Ozanköy is within influence of Kyrenia town because of its close proximity. Economic activity is channelled towards the city. Most people in Ozanköy have jobs there and supplies are obtained from Kyrenia. There is no large scale industrial activity in and around the village; therefore it has become a purely a residential area. Peace and quiet make this charming village a good place to live; there are no high rise buildings and no heavy traffic. A better infrastructure will improve the conditions of this lovely part of Northern Cyprus. There is no felling of trees. And forestry and new plantations of trees is encouraged. All private building projects should be in harmony with nature.

The other close neighbour to Ozanköy is Bellapais Monastery and its village. The private houses of both villages have almost mingled with each other. If you go up the "Fehim "Fehim Bey Hill" the old crusader road takes you up to Bellapais. Both settlements have a common historical background. Ozanköy which was previously called "Kazaphani", was located away from the sea to protect the villagers from threatening pirates. It used to be a "fief" during the Lusignan rule, most probably a residential area which supplied provisions to the monastery. "Kazaphani" is a corruption of the words "Casal Epiphani" or village of St. Epiphanius. The old road between Ozanköy and Bellapais dates back to the times of the Crusaders.
In Ozanköy there is a small well-preserved medieval church dedicated to the Virgin of the River (Panayia tou Potamou). There are aisles on the north and west sides of the church. There is a medieval tomb with no inscriptions. It is believed that it belonged to the founder of this church and according to traditions daughters were buried in the same grave. The whole church was covered with frescoes but most are decayed. The visible mural paintings are the Day of Judgment, St. Spyridon and St. Nicholas. This church has been restored by Advocate Ýlker Nevzat and Painter Emin Çizenel. The church is currently used for art exhibitions. The second church in Ozanköy is near the village square and dates from the 18.th century.

The mosque in Ozanköy is from the Ottoman period. It is believed that it was built towards the end of the 18th century. The masonry is original and the sanctuary is a rectangular plan. There are two tombstones in the courtyard. The one with the cypress tree belonged to ALTUNZADE ISMAIL and the other one to Mesut Efendi. The latter carries a beautiful stone relief from the year 1798. Both of these gentlemen are said to have contributed in founding the mosque. The domed fountain in the village square belongs to the same period. The old structures in Ozankoy reflect the traditional Cypriot way of life. There are many houses and sites which belong to old Turkish Cypriot families.