[10] The earliest mention of the city is on a clay prism[clarification needed] of the Assyrian king Esarhaddon dated to 672 BC, which calls it Lidir.

[11] By late antiquity, early Christian sources were recording the location as Leuteon (Λευτεῶν, Leuteō̂n) and as Leucon (Λευκῶν, Leukō̂n),[13] Leucotheon (Λευκοθέον, Leukothéon), Leucoi Theoi (Λευκοί Θεοί, Leukoí Theoí),[11] and Leucopolis (Λευκούπολις, Leukoúpolis),[14] incorporating forms of the Greek words for "white" (λευκός, leukós) or "poplar" (λεύκη, leúkē) and for "God" (Θεός, Theós), "god" (θεός, theós), or "goddess" (θεᾱ́, theá), with possible allusion to a supposed son of Ptolemy I Soter[11] or to the sea goddess Leucothea.

During the Byzantine period, the form Leucosia (Λευκουσία, Leukousía)—usually parsed as intending "the white estate" (ἡ λευκή οὐσία, hē leukḗ ousía)—became common;[15] this developed into modern Greek Lefkosia (Λευκωσία, Lefkosía, [lefkoˈsi.a])[16] and Turkish Lefkoşa ([lefˈkoʃa]).

The Latin and English name Nicosia appeared under the medieval Crusader Lusignan dynasty,[14][17] around the same time the Cypriot port Limassol replaced its previous initial N with an L for similarly unknown reasons.

[19][20][clarification needed] The town also appears as Callinicesis (Καλλινικησις, Kallinikēsis, or Καλλινεικησις, Kallineikēsis) in some of the hagiographies concerning the saints Tryphillius and Spyridon (fl.

The Cypriot vassal state transcribed as "Lidir" in a 672 BC Assyrian text is generally identified with the remains which have been found nearer to the modern city.

[26] Some sources record that it was restored and improved by Leucos, son of Ptolemy I Soter of Egypt around 280 BC,[27][13] although Hill considered this an early modern "fancy" based solely on pseudoetymological speculations.

[30] After the destruction of Cyprus's capital Salamis by Arab raids in 647, along with extensive damage to other coastal settlements, the economy of the island became much more inward-looking and inland towns gained relative significance.

[33] The economy under Byzantine rule consisted mostly of the trading of agricultural goods, but the town also produced luxury items and metalware due to the presence of the imperial administration.

[35][citation needed] Richard laid siege to Nicosia, finally met and defeated Isaac Komnenos at Tremetousia and became ruler of the island, but sold it to the Knights Templar.

During this time, Nicosia was the capital of the medieval Kingdom of Cyprus, the seat of Lusignan kings, the Latin Church and the Frankish administration of the island.

The Palazzo del Governo of Venetian times became the seat of the Pasha, the governor of Cyprus, and the building was renamed as the Konak or Seraglio (Saray).

The old Ottoman administrative headquarters (the Saray) was replaced in 1904 by a new building containing Law Courts, the Land Registry, and the Forestry, Customs, and Nicosia Commissioner's Offices.

[44] Just after the British Occupation a Municipal Council was constituted in Nicosia in 1882 for the general administration of public affairs within the city and for a certain area without the walls, under the presidency of a Mayor.

During the EOKA struggle that ran from 1955 to 1959, the street acquired the informal nickname The Murder Mile in reference to the frequent targeting of the British colonialists by nationalist fighters along its course.

[82] Nearby Büyük Han, the largest caravanserai in the island and considered to be one of the finest buildings in Cyprus, was built in 1572 by the Ottomans and functions as a cultural centre.

[83][84] To the west of the Girne Avenue lies the Samanbahçe neighborhood, built in the 19th century by the government, considered to be the first example of social housing in the island.

[92] In late 2019 the contract for providing transport services in the district of Nicosia was awarded via tender to a private consortium which was expected to take over the system on 5 July 2020.

Along with special hours dedicated to services of the Greek Evangelical community, it serves as a worship centre of local Protestants of other nationalities, such as Armenian, American, Romanian, Korean, Chinese, etc.

There was also a small Armenian Evangelical church, located on Mahmoud Pasha Street, in the Turkish-occupied part of the walled city of Nicosia—behind the old American Academy building, near the Arab Ahmed mosque.

Prior to its erection, Armenian Evangelicals used to worship God at the Reformed Presbyterian Church on Apostolos Varnavas Street, opposite the old Powerhouse and behind the building of the Holy Archbishopric of Cyprus.

When the city fell on 9 September, Francesco Contarini, the Bishop of Paphos, delivered the last Christian sermon in the building, in which he asked for divine help and exhorted the people.

[131] Following the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, the mosque gained significance as one of the most important sites of Muslim worship in the non-Muslim section of the island and the city.

In old Nicosia, the Ethnological Museum (Hadjigeorgakis Kornesios Mansion) is the most important example of surviving urban architecture of the late Ottoman rule.

Today, the mansion which was awarded the Europa Nostra prize for its exemplary renovation work, functions as a museum where a collection of artifacts from the Byzantine, Medieval and Ottoman periods are displayed.

Halls and theaters used for this purpose include: Nicosia's universities also boast an array of facilities, and many churches and outdoor spaces are used to host cultural events.

A number of international businesses base their Cypriot headquarters in Nicosia, such as the big four accounting firms PWC, Deloitte, KPMG and Ernst & Young.

In 2010, as part of the Nicosia Integrated Mobility Plan, a pre-feasibility study for a proposed tram network has taken place and sponsored by the Ministry of Communications and Works.

Nicosia has some of the biggest venues on the island; the Neo GSP Stadium, with a capacity of 23,400, is the home for the national team, APOEL, Olympiakos and Omonia.

[161] The Eleftheria Indoor Hall is the biggest basketball stadium in Cyprus, with a capacity of 6,500 seats, and is the home for the national team, APOEL and Omonia.