The beautiful Eleni from Rizokarpaso - Rare photos of National Geographic from Cyprus in 1928

The "beautiful Helen" from Rizokarpaso, the beautiful landscapes, the pristine nature, faces in the mountains and cities of Cyprus, are some of the rare documents recorded by National Geographic Magazine in 1928, through the lens of the famous photographer Willem Jan Wilmsen.

The famous magazine traveled to Cyprus in 1928, making known to the rest of the world the "images" of the almost unknown island of the Mediterranean.

The beautiful girl from Rizokarpaso

Among the many faces that the famous photographer had captured with his lens, a beautiful girl would attract his attention, which would become known abroad.

Eleni, due to her beauty, "forced" Willemsen to pay special attention to her, while she was the only one who was photographed more than once.

Characteristic was the caption that accompanied the famous photo with the beautiful Rizokarpasitissa: "The beauty of the oven"

Apart from the unique charm that the girl exuded, Willemsen was also impressed by her hard work and did not fail to photograph her when Eleni was working with her mother breaking stones.

When the world-class magazine was back in Cyprus 24 years later, the photographers had not forgotten the "beautiful Eleni" of Cyprus. They discovered her, now married and the mother of 7 children. She was photographed again, this time with her daughter, in a photo similar to hers 24 years ago.

The women of the mountains and the looms and the traditional Cypriots

National Geographic Magazine had then devoted much of its time to Cypriot women, who worked hard in a difficult economic time.

Some in the fields, others on the loom, while some were engaged in the living.

In Cyprus, Christians and Muslims have lived in harmony for many years, giving the beauty of diversity to such a small island. Women with headscarves, but also Muslim men who worked with Christians to provide for them.

 

About 1/5 of the population of Cyprus were Muslims, totaling 311.000.

The enchanting landscapes and the young Cypriots

The Dutch photographer of the famous magazine had also made an extensive tribute to the beautiful landscapes of the island, as the title of the report at that time had the title, "Unspoiled Cyprus" (virgin Cyprus).

From the mountains, to the seas, and from the ports to the faces of the young Cypriot women who with their smiles gave a special note to the rare photos.

National Geographic had been to Cyprus twice before, in 1952 and 1958, again making an excellent tribute to Cyprus.

Most of the photographs were published by the Dutch artist-photographer Jan Willemsen, grandson of the photographer who made the impressive photography in 1928.

Information was obtained from National Geographic and Citypress.cy. The photos are from the personal archive of Ismail Veli. Source: Mixanitouxronou