| We open the book of North Cypriot history
at Guzelyurt in the west, go northeast to the Girne region,
and then south to the Salamis area.
North Cyprus Sites near Guzelyurt
St. Mamas is the patron saint of tax evaders.
A 12th century hermit, he refused to pay taxes. As soldiers
took him to the authorities, the party saw a lion attack a
lamb. St. Mamas saved the lamb and rode into town on the lion.
His taxes were waived. The monastery named for him was built
in the 18th century, partly on Byzantine ruins, and using
the doors and columns of an earlier Gothic church. When you
visit, notice the elaborately carved iconostasis.
The Archeology and Nature Museum at Guzelyurt
has artifacts from the Neolithic Age through the Ottoman era
of North Cyprus. Don’t miss the 2nd century A.D. statue
of Artemis that was found near Salamis.
The foundations of Soli date to about 1100
B.C. Soli had a good water supply and rich soil. It was close
to copper mines and timber for smelting, and it had a protected
harbor, ensuring that the city prospered through Roman times.
You will see the Roman-era theater, built around 300 A.D.
The low limestone wall separated the orchestra from the 4000
spectators. A paved, column-lined Hellenistic street leads
to the agora. West of the theater were temples of Isis and
Aphrodite, and above the theater stood a royal palace. The
Basilica at Soli was built between 350 and 400 A.D. Its mosaics
are one of the glories of North Cyprus.
Vouni is a palace built by the pro-Persian
king of Marion to keep watch on pro-Greek Soli. Within its
137 rooms were garrison quarters, apartments for the ruler,
storerooms, and baths. The entrance was on the southwest.
An inner hall had connected rooms on either side. Seven wide
steps led to a courtyard. On the north side was one of the
earliest hot baths -- you can see the cisterns for water storage
that were cut into the mountain. South of the palace, you’ll
find a temple of Athena built about 425 B.C.
Between Guzelyurt and Kyrenia is the Late Bronze Age sanctuary
at Pigadhes. The double-horned altar is 12
feet high. A low wall surrounded the altar precinct.
North Cyprus Sites near Girne
Bellapais Abbey was founded about 1200 by
monks who fled Jerusalem when Saladin captured it. The dining
hall and cloisters you see were built between 1324 and 1359
and may be the best Gothic architecture in the Near East.
Girne (Kyrenia) was founded in the 10th
Century B.C. by Phoenicians, but was not very important until
first Romans, then Byzantines fortified it. You can visit
the Byzantine castle with its additions by Lusignans and Venetians.
In the castle museum, you can step back to the days of Alexander
the Great at the Shipwreck Museum. The ship carried wine,
almonds and olives.
The Ptolemaic cemetery at Girne was used into Roman times.
Some of the rock-cut tombs adjoin modern hotels. Also visible
are the remains of the Roman wall.
Vounous is the site of an Early Bronze Age
cemetery. The dead were buried with copper or bronze tools
and red polished pottery.
St. Hilarion Castle was named for a hermit
who fled Palestine and lived in a cave here in North Cyprus.
The Byzantines had a church and monastery in the 10th century.
After 1232, the crusading Lusignans expanded the castle. You’ll
see three building levels. The oldest is Byzantine; it housed
soldiers and horses. The middle complex included the church
and the royal residence. The courtyard of the upper castle
had royal rooms, cisterns, kitchens, and waiting rooms.
Seven thousand years ago, the farmers of Cape Apostolos Andreas
(Kastros) shaped bowls from stone and tools
from flint. They cultivated wheat, barley, lentils, and peas
and gathered wild pistachios, figs, and olives. They herded
cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs and hunted deer in the dense
forests. Their round houses were about nine feet across with
a hearth, grinding stones, and storage bins.
North Cyprus near Famagusta
Enkomi was founded in the Middle Bronze
Age (1900-1600 B.C.) as a copper-smelting and trading city.
Around 1200 B.C., the city was destroyed and rebuilt. Even
tombs were covered. The new Enkomi was larger with a definite
plan, with streets meeting at right angles. The massive wall
enclosed an area of 400 x 350 yards. Houses and tombs were
in the south, workshops and storehouses in the north.
Cellarka is a large cemetery a few miles
west of Salamis. A museum shows finds from the Iron Age to
the Hellenistic era in North Cyprus. The Iron Age “royal
tombs” held gold and silver jewelry, Egyptian jewelry,
and pottery from the Greek isles and Syria-Palestine.
Wear good walking shoes to tour Salamis,
founded during the 11th century B.C. The Temple of Zeus is
late Hellenistic; most of the remaining ruins are Roman. Visit
the “heart” of the city at its northernmost part
where the amphitheater and gymnasium were restored. You will
see baths, a 44-seat public latrine, and mosaics. Part of
the harbor wall survives, as does the agora.
Just outside Salamis are the Basilica and Monastery of St.
Barnabas. Don’t miss the icon museum, which also includes
archeological artifacts.
Famagusta became famous as a Crusader city.
The Church of Sts. Peter and Paul attests its wealth. A Syrian
trader, Simone Nostrano, built it in 1360 from the profits
of a single venture. But in 1373 the Genoese sacked the city.
In the 16th century, the Venetians built guardhouses, storerooms,
gun emplacements, and Othello’s tower. Christoforo Moro,
who was governor in 1508, inspired Shakespeare. He is said
to have murdered his faithless wife, Desdemona, in this very
castle.
Northern Cyprus is one of the last unspoiled
landscapes in Europe. Prices for real estate & holiday
homes are still very reasonable. Learn
more about owning a Northern Cyprus property or call toll
free in the UK: 0800-849-4168 or + 90-533-8613588
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