Castles and Fortifications in Northern Cyprus
Cyprus is justifiably famous for its castles, which generally date from the late Byzantine period (10th to 11th centuries A.D.) to the Lusignan (Crusader) period in the 12th through the 15th centuries. After control of the island passed to the Genoese, and later to the Venetians, several castles were abandoned in favor of more modern fortifications, while others were remodeled to make them more proof against artillery bombardment. The sites shown in red, above, are illustrated and discussed.
St. Hilarion
This castle was named for St. Hilarion, a hermit/monk who fled here from the Holy Land and died in a cave on the mountain. It was begun by the Byzantines, who had built a church and monastery here as early as the 10th century. Because of raids on the coast by Arab pirates, the site acquired strategic importance. Later, a four-year long conflict for control of the island between Frederick II, the Holy Roman Emperor, and John d'Ibelin centered on the castle. In 1232, John's army won the nearby battle of Agirda, and the castle saw about 140 years of peace. In this peaceful interlude the castle was expanded and used as a summer residence by the Lusignans (a Crusader dynasty), and as a refuge from the plague in 1349-1350. When the Venetians assumed control of the island, the castle was not deemed to be of military value, and was abandoned. However, during the inter-ethnic strife following the withdrawal of the British and the granting of Cypriot independence, Turkish Cypriots occupied the castle, and it became a stronghold against Greek EOKA-led attacks.
Construction History
In response to the Arab raids, a watch tower was built, and over the course of several centuries three different building complexes were erected. Each contained cisterns and storage rooms. The earliest, and lowest, was built by the Byzantines in the 11th century and accomodated a garrison and stables. The middle complex contained the church and royal appartments. The upper castle sits astride the top of the Kyrenia Range, and affords spectacular views of the northern coast. Royal appartments were also built there. The courtyard of the upper complex, 730 meters above sea level, was flanked by cisterns, kitchens, and waiting rooms on the east side, and residence rooms on the west. The highest part of the castle is known as "Prince John's Tower," after Prince John of Antioch. He had been implicated in the murder of Elanor of Aragon's late husband, Peter I (John's brother). Elanor convinced John that his Bulgarian bodyguards were plotting to kill him, so he had all 24 of them brought to the tower, and threw them out the window, one-by-one. But one survived the drop of several hundred feet, to tell the tale. John, without sense, or bodyguards, was easy prey for Elanor and her followers, and was soon dispatched (one could have hoped by being tossed out the same window).
The Byzantine Chapel
One of the oldest parts of the castle is this chapel, which dates to the
Byzantine period. Of particular note are the three apses on the east end.
Their construction is quite typical of Byzantine brick buildings. Compare
the alternating thin red brick and thick mortar joints with the window
frame from part of the calste at Buffavento, shown below.
Buffavento Castle
Buffavento (Wind Gust) Castle is the second in the line of three built on the peaks of the northern mountain range. It is the least well preserved, and the most inaccessible as well, but the most dramatically situated. For those who are up to the trek, it is worth seeing. The castle was begun in the 10th century by the Byzantines, asd a watchtower. This surviving section shows the construction detail around a window. The alternating thin red bricks and thick mortar joints show its clear affinity with the chapel at St. Hillarion.
The Location of Buffavento
Buffavento is not easy to visit. It is situated at about 940 meters above sea level, and requires at least a 45 minute hike from the parking lot. There is an old jousting yard associated with the castle, but, like the one at St. Hillarion, it is now used by the Turkish Army. Buffavento's jousting yard is now a firing range. One no longer needs a military escort to visit the site, but if the army is on the firing range the noise can be quite intimidating, as it is amplified by the mountain range, and echoes back along the path to the castle. Photography of the military area is clearly prohibited.
From the topmost part of the castle the views are probably the best in Cyprus. The whole of the Mesarya Plain is clearly visible on the south; Gazimagusa and the east coast are visible on clear days. On the west St. Hillarion is clearly seen, and the site of Kantara Castle is visible to the northeast, while the Mediterranean coast dominates the view to the north. The three castles were situated so that signal fires on one could be seen from the others.
The road up to the parking lot at Buffavento is quite rough in spots, and
subject to erosion during the winter. If you don't have a four-wheel drive,
it might be best to park at the top of the pass by Besparmak (Pentadactylos,
or "the Five Finger Mountain"), and hike back to the site. It will take
about two and a half hours to get to the castle. If you drive in, the first
kilometer of the unimproved road is the worst. Plan to start early, especially
in the summer. The ascent to the castle is up the hot southern face of
the mountain--bring plenty of water also. Once at the top, you will pass
through a well-preserved gate-house, and see structures built on several
levels, each equipped with a cistern.
Kantara Castle
The easternmost and best preserved of the three castles in the Kyrenia Range, Kantara occupies a ridge at the base of the Karpaz Peninsula (the long spit of land that stretches out toward Syria). Parts of the castle are remarkably well preserved. It is not nearly as large as St. Hilarion, but it is in a more picturesque location, with a spectacular view of the north coast and Famagusta Bay on the east coast. The castle has a more "homey" feel to it, and it is surrounded by a beautiful forest with picnic areas. The drive up here is not for the faint of heart. The narrow, cobble roads built by the British in the last century have received a thin layer of asphalt, but do not easily facilitate two-way traffic. A few spots on nerve-racking switchbacks allow vehicles to get past each other.
Some History
Kantara was begun in the 10th century as a lookout post, and was remodeled
in the 12th century by the Lusignans. Because of its inaccessibility, the
castle has often served as a last refuge of defeated rulers. Its first
mention in history came in 1191, when Richard Coeur de Lion captured Cyprus,
and Issac Comnenos, a rebel Byzantine prince who had ruled Cyprus as a
despot for seven years, holed up in the castle. In 1373, when the Genoese
captured Famagusta and Nicosia, John of Antioch, the brother of King Peter
I of Cyprus, retained control of Kantara. Later John's brother, James I,
remodelled the castle, giving it its current layout. The castle was used
up to about 1525. About that time the Venetians abandoned it in favor of
coastal fortifications such as Famagusta and Kyrenia, and the star-fortress
they constructed at Nicosia.
Gazimagusa (Famagusta)
The southwestern part of the fortified city of Famagusta includes the Rivettina Bastion, a complex of guardhouses, storerooms, and gun emplacements, built by the Venetians between 1489 and 1540. The Ottoman assult on the city concentrated on the south and west walls, and it is from this tower that the Venetians surrendered the city in 1571, after a seige of ten months. The 150 cannon used by the attackers are said to have fired over 150,000 rounds into the city, levelling most of the buildings, and killing nearly three-quarters of the Venetian defenders. On July 7, 1571, the Ottoman troops finally secured a foothold on the Rivettina Bastion, and the Venetians blew up a mine they had prepared for the occasion, killing over 1,000 Turkish soldiers and about 100 Venetians. The defenders held out for three more weeks, until starvation and ammunition shortages forced their surrender. The old drawbridge across the dry moat was replaced by the British with a solid masonry auto bridge just north of the bastion.
Church of St. Peter & St. Paul (Famagusta)
One of the few buildings to survive the bombardment relatively unscathed is the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul. A text panel on its wall says it was built by a wealthy Syrian merchant named Simone Nostrano in 1360, from the profits of a single business venture. Its survival is no doubt partly attibutable to its sturdy construction. I am intrigued by the mixed architectural style of the church. It has many Gothic features, including pointed arches, flying buttresses, and stained glass windows, yet the weight and mass of the building speak to earlier Roman/Byzantine designs. It appears to have been designed by an architect not quite comfortable with the high Gothic style and its engineering problems. Underneath the Gothic details, the church evokes an earlier style. The result is a charming building with Gothic aspirations, struggling to lift itself free of its Romanesque foundation.
Girne (Kyrenia Castle)
The harbor at Girne (Kyrenia) is probably the main tourist attraction in the north. It is guarded by a massive castle. The castle was built over a period of many centuries, with Lusignan walls built atop Byzantine remains, and Venetian walls atop and around Lusignan. It is likely that the earliest fortifications were Roman. The northwest tower (in front) is of Venetian design, but the tower in the northeast is Lusignan. The castle served as a prison for various royal persons and pretenders during its long history; the British, too, used it as such. The castle contains several rooms devoted to various archaeological/historical periods, including a Neolithic display, a brand-new (not yet open) exhibit of a Roman/Byzantine tomb, and the remains of a ship that sank off the coast some 2300 years ago.
