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Assia (Greek : Άσσια ) is a community of the District of Famagusta in the region of Cyprus occupied by the Turkish army.

Ashia or Asha or "Assia" (Greek: Ασσια, Turkish: Paşaköy) is a village in the Famagusta District of Cyprus, located 6 km northwest of Vatili.

Ashia is one of the villages of Cyprus currently occupied by the Turkish army. It is located in the center of the Mesaoria valley. Before 1974, the population of Ashia was approximately 2700. The village consisted of two parishes, St. John's and St. George's. The village had five churches: St. George, St. John Prodromos, St. Theodore, St. Spyridon and Virgin Mary. St. Spyridon was born in Ashia and the church was built, along with all the iconography, by Michael Kassialos the well known folk artist from Ashia. Ashia was also well known for the craftsmanship of the embroidery made there. The main source of income in the area was farming. The people of Ashia were well known for their progressive ideas. They now remember, in pain, their beautiful village and wait for the day when they will be able to go back and show to their children the homes which they were born in.

The name of Ashia

Some believe that the name of the village comes from "Askia" which in Greek means "without any shade" and refers to the fact that there were very few trees in the area in and around Ashia and therefore a lack of shade. Over the centuries the pronunciation of the name changed from "Askia" to "Ashia". S. Menandros, in his book "Toponomy of Cyprus" (Athens, 1907), writes: "An old village called Ashia is mentioned many times in texts from the period of the French kingdom of Cyprus and is believed to have constituted the baliazzo d'Αscha according to Venetian census. In the "Assises" the name is spelled Aschia, Αchia, Asquie and According to Maheras Askia and Ahea. All evidence suggests that despite the differences in spelling, all the double consonants in the name, i.e. sh, sk, sq or ch, were most probably pronounced similarly to the heavy Italian sc.

Of course, there is also the popular belief that the name comes from the Greek word "aski" (plural "askia") which is a type of vessel for carrying liquids, mainly water and wine, made of animal skin. During some legendary feasts, which included drinking competitions, the people of Ashia claimed that the name of the village came from the fact that they could consume so many "askia" of wine!
The location of Ashia

Ashia is one of the largest villages in the central part of the Mesaoria valley, in the district of Famagusta. It is located on the old Nicosia-Famagusta road, about 14 miles east from Nicosia and 24 miles west from Famagusta. West, and almost adjacent to Ashia, is Afania. East is Vatili. To the north is Angkastina, Marathovounos, Mousoulita and Stroggylos. To the south, a little further than the villages mentioned above, where Tremetousia, Arsos, Athienou and two small Turkish Cypriot villages, Agia and Melousia.

To the north of the village extended the valley of Mesaoria. The land was fertile and was the major source of wheat for the island. In older times, the valley also produced cotton, sesami, grapes and a variety of vegetables. The land is so fertile mainly because of the river Yialias, which both supplied the necessary irrigation but also deposited rich soil over the adjacent farmland. Water from Yialias was diverted to the surrounding areas through an old system of irrigation channels.

The area to the south, known as Trachonas, is less fertile and depends largely on rain but also some wells. Most of this area was used to either grow barley or as grazing land for sheep. There were, however, a few area were vegetables were grown.

Those who are still missing

As a result of the 1974 Turkish invasion in Cyprus, 1619* Greek-Cypriots were reported as missing. Most of them were soldiers or reservists, captured during the battles by the Turkish invasion force. Among them, however, were many civilians, women and children, arrested by the Turkish invasion troops and Turkish-Cypriot paramilitary groups, within the area controlled by the Turkish army after the cease of the battles and far away from the military front. Although motion pictures and photographs showing these people either being arrested or being transferred to and imprisoned in Turkey do exist, none of them has ever returned. This is not a memorial page. There is hope that some of these people are still alive.

Ashia has probably suffered the most, given its population of about 2,700, with 84* people still missing (second only to Nicosia, missing 90 out of a population of ~ 100,000.) In addition, a total of 105 persons are still listed as missing after last seen at Ashia, more than any other single location in Cyprus!

Sports away from home

Before 1974 Ashia had two football teams, "Ethnikos" and "Omonia," with a long and proud history. Unfortunately, the war and the loss of the town brought the end of Omonia. Ethnikos fought hard and managed to survive and is currently playing in the third division of the Cyprus League.

Ethnikos Assia (Greek: Εθνικός 'Ασσιας) is a Cyprus football team currently playing in the Cypriot Third Division. The team was established in Assia, Famagusta, but since the Turkish invasion of 1974, Ethnikos became a refugee team. The club is now based in the capital Nicosia and play their home games at the Makario. The club has played three times in the first division, the last time was during the 2001-02 season