North Cyprus History

25 October, 2009

St. George of the Latins

St. George of the Latins | Famagusta This delightful, small, single aisle church is very close to Othello’s Tower and represents the essence of clean, simple gothic design. Much ruined now, it still retains many features that are fine examples […]
25 October, 2009

Kyrenia Castle

Kyrenia Castle | Kyrenia The history of Kyrenia castle, shares its origin with the mountain castles and was built by the Byzantines for the same defensive reasons, to repel the Arab raiders of the 7th C. It is possible that […]
25 October, 2009

Othello’s Tower

The fortress that guards the harbour and is now called Othello’s Tower, was built during the Lusignan period in the 14th C, and it may well have been a residence for members of the royal family or their entourage during […]
25 October, 2009

Church of St. George of the Greeks

Church of St. George of the Greeks | Famagusta Built beside the small Byzantine church of St Symeon, the church of St. George was the Orthodox Cathedral. An elegant mix of Gothic and Byzantine styles it was intended to rival […]
22 November, 2009
Sourp Monastery

Sourp Magar Monastery

Access to this ruined monastery is from the same mountain road that leads from The Five Finger Mountain to Alevkaya. After driving for about 4 miles (6.5km) slow down and keep looking down into the valley below. The monastery buildings […]
25 October, 2009

The Sultan’s Library

Sultan’s Library | Nicosia At the eastern end of the Selimiye mosque, there is a paved pedestrian area where the Sultan’s Library is to be found. It is a square unprepossessing building with a domed roof and most of the […]
24 November, 2009
Turkish Cypriot Cuisine

Cypriot Cuisine

The cuisine of Cyprus has much in common with many countries of the Mediterranean with influences from most of them. Much of the food that is produced on the island is the same as that of mainland Turkey, Greece and […]
25 October, 2009

The Mevlevi Tekke (Whirling Dervish Museum)

The Mevlevi Tekke (Whirling Dervish Museum) | Nicosia Entering the city through the Girne Kapisi (Kyrenia Gate), the Mevlevi tekke museum is fifty metres on the left. A tekke is a religious base, and this 17th C building was the […]
25 October, 2009

The Martinengo Bastion

The Martinengo Bastion | Famagusta Situated on the north west corner of the city this bastion is diamond shaped and was considered by the Ottoman forces to be impregnable. It is constructed on top of solid rock and maybe for […]
26 October, 2009
Kantara Castle

Kantara Castle

There are many different routes to his castle, all of them involve easy, if slow, drives up the mountain roads to the village of Kantara and from there follow the signs. The documented history of Kantara coincides with that of […]