North Cyprus is home to ancient castle ruins, immense archaeological sites of once mighty classical cities, lovely golden beaches and villages where old men gather at the coffeehouse to while away the daylight hours. Most visitors come for the the sun and the sea, but this magical place has so much more to offer.
OLD CITY FAMAGUSTA
Famagusta is a beautiful characteristic Mediterranean town with a rich history and its old and modern buildings. It is superbly ideal for a sightseeing tour. Once through the imposing gateway of the old walled city of Famagusta you leave behind the hustle of the modern commercial city and enter an open air museum. The jewel here is the old St Nicholas Cathedral which is still in use today as the Mustafa Pasa Mosque. Lusignan kings were crowned here in absentia as kings of Jerusalem after they had been crowned as kings of Cyprus in Nicosia. The thick, heavy Venetian walls of the Old City offer ramparts for walking, especially the section looking seaward surrounding the Sea Gate. St Mark’s lion, the statue near the Sea Gate, leaves no doubt of the Venetian presence and Othello’s Tower nearby owes its name to Shakespeare. Amongst historical buldings you will find a pedestrianized shopping street in the heart of the city to serve your needs and a good number of cafés and restaurants.
KANTARA CASTLE
The Kantara Castle is the easternmost of the castles situated on the Girne Mountains, at a height of 700 meters from sea level. The castle has a strategic advantage, as it overlooks the northern shoreline, the Mesarya Plains and the Karpaz Peninsula. Although the upper floors were removed hundreds of years ago, there are still the lower rooms of the guard house, Castellan’s apartments, barrack rooms and on the western side of the castle there are vast storerooms and deep cisterns. Following the line of the perimeter walls will reveal scant remains of further dwellings and there are breathtaking views at every turn. Not to be missed is the north east tower, that contains a long room, equipped with tall arrow slits that permitted archers armed with longbows to fire on the enemy below and yet remain relatively protected themselves. A walk around Kantara should not be hurried for this is the castle of a hundred and one rooms, and according to legend anyone who finds the 101st will enter Paradise!
SAINT BARNABAS MONASTERY
The Saint Barnabas Monastery is located near Tuzla Village, Famagusta. Barnabas lived in ancient Salamis, and he preached the gospel message throughout Cyprus, particularly in Salamis around 45 AD. In 477, a monastery, financed by Byzantine Emperor Zeno, was built near the apostle Barnabas' grave, which is situated on the western end of the Salamis Necropolis and near the Royal Tombs. Two centuries after the Saint Barnabas Monastery was built, it was destroyed during a raid, and only the foundation of the original building still remains. The St. Barnabas Monastery that is on site today is from the 1750’s. Today, the Saint Barnabas Monastery serves as a historical site with two museums: Archaeological Museum and Icon Museum. The Archaeological Museum focuses on ancient artifacts from throughout the region, particularly from the Salamis Archaeological Site.The Icon Museum includes various icons, particularly from the 18th century, gathered from the village churches throughout the Famagusta district, as well as from the Saint Barnabas Monastery.
NAMIK KEMAL DUNGEON
The dungeon is situated in the courtyard of the Venetian Palace and has been constructed with ashlar. Namik Kemal, playwright and poet, stayed in this building for 38 months during his exile in Cyprus because of a play he had written criticizing the Ottoman rulers. The ground floor has a door opening to the courtyard of the palace and a window with grating. A steep ashlar staircase leads to the room on the upper floor in which documents belonging to Namik Kemal are being exhibited. This room has two windows.
VOUNI PALACE AND RUINS
Vouni palace is 9 km west of Gemikonagi and 250 m above sea level. The Palace, which was built in about 500 BC in order to maintain control over the city of Soli, was inhabited by the people of Soli until it was destroyed by a fire in 380 BC when it was deserted. The Palace Complex, which consists of a total of 137 rooms lining three sides of the central courtyard, is located on a high hilltop to the east of the Ancient City of Soli. The different sections of the Vouni remains are: the entrance, the residential rooms, the courtyard with columns, the kitchen courtyard, the cistern, granaries, baths, living rooms and offices.
MORPHOU MUSEUM OF ARCHEOLOGY & NATURAL HISTORY
The museum is housed in the old palace of the bishop of Güzelyurt (Morphou) next to St. Mamas Monastery. The ground floor of the museum is devoted to natural history and holds cabinets of geological samples, stuffed fish, mammals, and birds native to Cyprus. The upper floors of the museum houses the archaeology section with displays from the Neolithic and bronze ages. In the second and third rooms there is a display of finds from the Tumba Tou Skuru settlement.