Described as a city with high levels of welfare, it has seen great urban growth and development in the 21st century, including the construction of new highways and high-rises.

It hosts a significant number of tourists and a variety of cultural activities, including its international festivals of theatre and music.

During the Cyprus crisis of 1963–64, in the aftermath of unilateral constitutional changes by the Greek Cypriots, intercommunal violence broke out.

The coup ousted Archbishop Makarios III as President of Cyprus, replacing him with pro-enosis nationalist Nikos Sampson.

[9] In response to the prospect of enosis, on 20 July 1974, the Turkish Army invaded the island, and from then occupied the 37% of the north part of the Republic of Cyprus.

The second phase was performed on 14 August 1974, where the Turkish Army advanced their positions, eventually capturing a total of 37% of Cypriot territory, including the northern part of Nicosia and the cities of Kyrenia and Famagusta.

[23] The walled city overall has been declared a protected area by the Turkish Cypriot Department of Antiquities, and 672 buildings and places of historical value have been registered in it.

[25][26] In the middle of the square stands the Venetian Column, known simply as "the Obelisk" ("Dikiltaş") to the locals and symbolic of the country's government.

The coats of arms of six Italian noble families still remains at the bottom of the column, even though the statue of the lion on it has been replaced with a copper ball.

[30] Near the entrance of the walled city, to the west of the Girne Avenue, lies the Samanbahçe neighbourhood, built in the 19th century by the government, considered to be the first example of social housing in the island.

[32][33] 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.

[41][42] The Library of Sultan Mahmud II, which hosts manuscripts in Turkish, Arabic and Persian that are over 500 years old and considered fine examples of calligraphy,[40] is also located in the Selimiye Square.

Yenicami hosts the Haydar Pasha Mosque that used to be the second largest church in the city before its conversion by the Ottomans, and with its Gothic architecture, it is home to richly carved doorways.

[44] Upper and middle class Turkish Cypriots have left the walled city to settle in areas such as Küçük Kaymaklı and Hamitköy, which have seen a corresponding boom in economic and commercial activity.

[53][54] The Arab Ahmet quarter had had an Armenian Cypriot presence since the Ottoman conquest; having been a minority until the 1920s, they constituted the overwhelming majority of the area by the 1950s.

[61] One aspect of North Nicosia that gives it the advantage for economical growth is its central position in Northern Cyprus, where transport links from Kyrenia, Famagusta and Morphou intersect.

[3] The economy in the walled city has stagnated through the 2000s and 2010s, with the central Municipal Market losing its popularity,[62] even though it has started to receive investment as of 2014[update][63] and programs have been put to place to reinvigorate the region with cultural activities being organised.

[75] In 2014, the university built the Park Near East on an area of 220,000 square metres, and the concerts of Deep Purple and Turkish bands such as Yüksek Sadakat drew tens of thousands of spectators from Cyprus and Turkey.

It also hosts the annual Rock 'n Cyprus festival, at which bands from Turkey perform,[76] and organises the NEU Nicosia Carnival at the Dereboyu region of the city, at which the students display their culture and the locals crowd into the streets.

The Dereboyu region has become a centre of entertainment, where street parties,[78] festivals and concerts of local bands and singers take place.

The Nicosia Turkish Municipality organises the Cyprus Theatre Festival annually, and prominent theatrical groups from Turkey as well as the Nicosia Municipal Theatre participate in the festival that takes place in the Atatürk Culture and Congress Centre of the Near East University.

Theatre is very popular in Northern Cyprus, and as such, long queues form for the ticket sales of the festival, with the number of theatre-goers increasing every year.

Internationally renowned musicals and dance shows are performed in front of crowded audiences in the Atatürk Culture and Congress Centre.

[116][117][118] The NEU has also locally developed and manufactured a completely solar energy-powered car[119] and has research centers in topics ranging from tissue engineering to history.

In 2011, plans to build a tram system were put forward but rejected, yet the popular opinion is strongly in favour of establishing one.

[137] The walled city has been facilitated to be easily navigable on foot, but the municipality has been criticised over the lack of a reliable system of public transport.

[138] North Nicosia hosts five out of the fourteen teams of the Turkish Cypriot Süper Lig, the top football division in Northern Cyprus: Çetinkaya, Yenicami, Küçük Kaymaklı, Gönyeli and Gençlik Gücü.

[140] The city annually hosts the Nicosia Marathon, to which over a thousand people participated in 2014, including leading political figures.

The marathon passes through the city's popular avenues and landmarks with the categories of 4, 8 and 21 kilometres, the 4 km being regarded as a public walk.

[153] The Nicosia Turkish Municipality is active in terms of building new sports facilities and has done so in the Metehan area,[154] with projects underway in the Hamitköy and Haspolat regions.