Cyprus – Discover one of the most beautiful medieval islands.
In the first article, we discussed the people for whom they made the island their 8th wonder of the world. We talked about the cities of Nicosia and Kyrenia. And in this article, we will describe Famagusta and Guzelyurt. It seems to me that we traditionally pour a cup of Templar coffee, and in an aristocratic atmosphere we read “Northern Cyprus of the city (continued)”. Küçük olan her şey başarıyla büyür! Dünyanın gördüğü en büyük başarı , önce bir hayaldi. En büyük çınar bir tohumdu, en büyük kuş bir yumurtada gizliydi. As the saying goes: everything that was small at first grows successfully. The world’s biggest success was just a dream at first. The largest plane tree was just a seed at first, and the largest bird was hidden in the egg. Let’s go… 🙂
North Cyprus Cities
- Nicosia (Greek: Λευκωσία – Lefkosia; Lefkoşa – Lefkoşa)
- Kyrenia (Greek: Κερύνεια / Turkish. Girne)
- Famagusta (Αμμόχωστος, Turkish – Magusa or Gazimagusa, Turkish. Gazimağusa)
- Guzelyurt (Turkish: Guzelyurt; Güzelyurt)
- Iskele (Greek: Τρίκωμο and Iskele in Turkish: İskele)
- Lefke (Turkish: Lefke; Lefke, Greek: Λεύκα)
- Karpas (Greek: Καρπασία, Turkish: Καρπασ� Karpaz)
Famagusta
Famagusta is a fortress-port, the pearl of the Mediterranean. The seaport city of Arsinoe (this is the old name of Famagusta) was founded in the III century BC by the Egyptian king Ptolemy II Philadelphus. He named the settlement after his beloved wife. The city (as well as the entire island) was inhabited by the Greeks, although from century to century the island was ruled by various states and dynasties. At one time, it was even the residence of King Richard the Lionheart. Its heyday began in the VII century.
In response, Richard captured Nicosia and Famagusta, captured Isaac and declared himself the sovereign of Cyprus. Until 1291, Famagusta was a fishing village. There is a version that the great Leonardo da Vinci had a hand in the planning of the city. Since the bay is quite deep, large ships often moored to the eastern shore of the island. The small town had a good harbor, its inhabitants traded with the Levant and were engaged in fishing. Then began the “golden age” of Famagusta, through which in the 13th-14th centuries, the main flow of goods from East to West went. The most basic groups of the population were the Genoese and the Venetians, who were constantly at odds with each other, trying to assert their superiority in trade.
Continuing the history of Famagusta
During the war between Venice and the Ottoman Empire, the fortress withstood a ten-month siege by the army of Lala Mustafa Pasha. And it capitulated when the garrison lost almost 90% of its personnel and ran out of gunpowder, water and food. Immigrants from Europe left the city and the deserted quarters were settled by the families of soldiers and veterans of the Turkish army. Then there was British rule. Behind it is the Ottoman conquest and rule, respectively. Nowadays, Famagusta is a port city with a historical past, where there are many attractions. And tourists still love to visit the most beautiful places in the city… 🙂
Important places in Famagusta
- St. Nicholas Cathedral
- Namik Kemal Square
- Othello Tower
St. Nicholas Cathedral
The Cathedral of St. Nicholas, and now the Lal Mustafa Pasha Mosque, is the main medieval temple of the city of Famagusta. It was built in the XIV century on the prototype of the Reims Cathedral in the Gothic style of the Cypriot kings of the Lusignan dynasty. In tourist booklets, it is called the “Cypriot Reims”.
During the siege of Famagusta by the Turks in 1571, the cathedral was badly damaged by cannon fire. Turkish troops, unfortunately, destroyed the sculptural decoration of the temple. And in 1974, the cathedral was renamed the Lal Mustafa Pasha Mosque. And indeed, a unique building of those years. Very beautiful! 🙂
Namik Kemal Square
The main square of Famagusta is home to the Namik Kemal Museum. This 2-storey stone structure was built during the Ottoman Empire, on the ruins of an old Venetian palace. Turkish citizen Namik Kemal, the famous “Shakespeare” of Turkey, was an outstanding writer who lived here for 38 months on his way to exile.
Othello Tower
Medieval Tower of Othello. Above the gate there is a marble bas-relief of the lion of St. Mark. As is known, all Shakespeare’s dramas were based on events described earlier by one of the little-known writers. For example, the plot of “Otello” is borrowed from the Italian writer Cintio. The story of the Venetian captain Othello, who was married to the noble Venetian Desdemona. At that time, a lieutenant served in the garrison, who also loved Desdemona.
However, his courtship was not reciprocated by the beautiful lady. Then the lieutenant stole her handkerchief and threw it into the corporal’s room. Informing Otella about this. The jealous husband decides to deal with Desdemona, but he did not do it himself, but entrusted the “task” to the lieutenant. He strangled the unfortunate woman and managed to convince the Venetian general that it was a jealous husband who did it. Othello was arrested and exiled from the Republic of Venice. And the lieutenant got the place of his superior. Such a beautiful and at the same time sad story of the Othello Tower.
Guzelyurt
Guzelyurt (Morphou) is a city in the northwest of Northern Cyprus. It is said to have been founded for the goddess Aphrodite by the Spartans who migrated from Greece in ancient times. The beautiful town of Guzelyurt is the center of production of all citrus fruits on the island. It has beautiful views of the Troodos Mountains and mild weather. Orange Festivals are held here every year. Guzelyurt is a city where in addition to citrus fruits, many fruits and vegetables are grown, such as watermelon, melon and pomegranate. In addition to these natural beauties, Guzelyurt also houses important works in terms of the history of the island, such as:
- Ancient City of Soli
- Vouni Palace
- Tou Skuru cabinet
- Monastery of St. Mamas
In addition to its historical and natural beauties, Guzelyurt has an important place in the educational life of the TRNC with its campus of the Middle East Technical University. Guzelyurt is only 40 km from Nicosia and 47 km from Kyrenia.
Ancient City of Soli
In the northwest of the Gulf of Morphou (the village of Gemikonagi) there are the ruins of the ancient city of Soli. It is one of the 10 ancient city-states into which Cyprus was divided. They are mentioned in the lists of the Assyrian king Assarhadon (680-669 BC). During the excavations, archaeologists found many interesting buildings and objects – temples, palaces. As well as the significant buildings of Soli. One of the most grandiose finds was a huge Roman amphitheater that could accommodate up to 3,000 people.
The Amphitheater has gorgeous acoustic parameters that surprised even music producers around the world. By the way, there is also a wonderful view of the surroundings from there. Scientists also found a statue of Aphrodite of Cyprida (I century AD).
Vouni Palace
Around 500 BC, Cyprus was taken over by the Persians. They built for themselves the city of Marion, which was located 50 km from the city of Soli. In 499 BC, a revolt broke out in the city of Soli. The Persians successfully suppressed it. But we decided that suddenly if there was another such uprising, then we would have our own town nearby – an “observation post” 🙂 To pacify the “unfit” 🙂 🙂 🙂 This is how the Wuni Palace appeared. By the way, at that time it was not just a small town, but a complex of various structures and buildings.
“Vouni” from Greek means “mountain”. We leave the location on Google maps.
Tou Skuru Pedestal
The Bronze Age city is Tumba Tu Skuru (meaning “Mound of Darkness”). It is located a few miles north of Guzelyurt. The city was discovered in 1971-1974 by Harvard University and the Museum of Art. As a result of excavations, many graves of its inhabitants were discovered. Among the historical finds are:
- Pieces of copper scale
- various rich burials that tell us about the well-being of its inhabitants
By the way, the houses were built of bricks on stone foundations. And the pottery is of high quality and beautiful shapes with various paintings of dark brown and orange colors.
Monastery of St. Mamas
Unusual historical places in Northern Cyprus are the Monastery of St. Mamas. The church was originally built on the site of a pagan temple, Gothic elements were added in the 15th century, and the dome in the 18th century. Many icons depict a young warrior (the patron saint of the temple), who was elevated to the status of Saints for his courage, kindness and faith in God.
St. Mamas is one of the most revered saints in Cyprus. Living away from the worldly vanity, he learned to understand the language of birds and animals, to appreciate the world of nature and animals. Yet he lacked human warmth and companionship. Mamas decided to return to people to protect them from troubles and deprivations. But fate was preparing new trials for him. The persecution of Christians did not stop. Having imprisoned Mamas, he was subjected to sophisticated tortures, and, not having achieved renunciation of the faith, he was executed, and at night the coffin with the body was thrown into the sea. Subsequently, the coffin was washed up by the waves on the shore of the sea bay of Morphou, where it was seen by one of the residents. And not far from this place a church was erected.
From the editors…
The island is so beautiful that you can talk about it and talk about it… I have long understood that Cyprus is my home. Everything is familiar to me here, everything seems so dear. This originality and its own, somehow, comfort… We have discussed with you four cities in Northern Cyprus – Nicosia, Kyrenia. And today – Famagusta and Guzelyurt? Below you can follow the links and see real estate in North Cyprus. Good viewing to you! Source: Veles Enterprises Article prepared by: Valerii Veles Ask your question directly to the experts at Veles.
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