Oral history; Cyprus; Turkish Cypriot identity; intercommunal relations; memory studies; gender history; urban history; Limassol; syncretism.

The article examines how Ottoman heritage is selectively represented in the museums of Nicosia, a city divided between Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities, highlighting the role of museums as "mnemonic actors" that reinforce competing memory regimes. It shows that museums on the southern (Greek Cypriot) side tend to marginalize or negatively portray the Ottoman period, emphasizing Hellenistic and Byzantine continuity and narratives of oppression, while museums on the northern (Turkish Cypriot) side emphasize Ottoman history as foundational to Turkish Cypriot identity and cultural heritage. The study reveals that museum narratives are shaped by political and identity struggles, with selective inclusion and exclusion of artifacts, language use, and historical interpretation reflecting broader memory politics in a post-conflict society. It also notes initiatives by organizations like the Association for Historical Dialogue and Research (AHDR) that seek to present more nuanced, multi-perspective histories to support reconciliation efforts.