Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus has been the largest and most significant city of the country during the last millennium. Built almost in the center of the island it constitutes the administrative, commercial and cultural nucleus of the country. In ancient times and during the first Christian centuries it was known as Ledra. The center of the city that is enclosed by the 16th century Venetian Walls includes museums, Byzantine churches, medieval and neoclassical buildings, picturesque narrow streets and beautiful neighborhoods.

Nicosia remains the last divided capital in Europe where the buffer zone known as "Green Line" separates the heart of the city in two. Its streets are cut in half by barricades, sandbags and entanglements, a fact, which is a disgrace to the civilized world of the 21st century.