The history of North Cyprus dates 9000 years back to a rich mix of many great empires from the Phoenicians, Egyptians, Persians, Macedonians under Alexander the Great, the Romans, the Byzantine Empire, the Ottoman Turks and the British. These empires have made a major impact on the local culture,art and infrastucture.
Frequent occupation of peoples from Europe and Asia have greatly influenced the lifestyle and inhabitants. In the 8th century BC it was a part of the Assyrian empire, then the Babylonian, Egyptian and Persian. The romans seized the island in 58 BC. Richard the Lionheart settled on the island in 1191 during the third Crusade and, after selling it to the Knights Templar permitted Guy de Lusignan to buy the island. The Venetians later captured it from the Lusignan empire in 1489.
From 1571 to 1878 the Island was ruled by the Ottomans until they leased its administration to Britain. Independence was granted in 1960, but after Greek Cypriot and Greek military coup in 1974, Turkey was forced to intervene to safe guard the interest of the Turkish Cypriots. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was subsequently proclaimed in 1983.