The Nicosia International Airport on the island of Cyprus was once a bustling hub for the region's tourist industry. It was built in the 1930s and served as a vital airstrip for allied bombers during the second World War. In 1974, following the Cypriot coup d'état and the ensuing Turkish invasion of Cyprus, the airport was abandoned. Nature began to slowly retake the airfield as brush and trees enveloped airplanes left on the runway, and flocks of birds took up residence in what were once its terminals. Today, the facilities at the Nicosia International Airport lay in ruins, and the remaining usable structures are used mainly as the headquarters for the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus.
Here is a haunting look at what a modern airport looks like after returning to nature.
