Greek and Turkish Cypriots have pulled down barricades separating them for half a century on a road that has come to symbolise partition on Cyprus.
In a ceremony attended by the United Nations, aides to the Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders and local officials, the 80-metre stretch of Ledra Street in the main commercial district of Nicosia was declared open to pedestrians.
Opening the road is a symbolic gesture ahead of talks to end the island's division, which is an obstacle to Turkey's hopes of joining the European Union.
The Cypriot communities have been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded in response to a brief Greek-inspired coup.
The division on Ledra precedes that by some 15 years, when barricades were erected by Turkish Cypriots in 1958. A more permanent roadblock was erected after ethnic strife in 1963.
Greek and Turkish Cypriots agreed last month to restart talks aimed at ending a five-year stalemate in reunification efforts, and these are expected to restart later this year.