North Cyprus special interest

For tourists there are a lot of varieties of historical places in North Cyprus:

Kyrenia is famous for: The Bellapais Monastery, Kyrenia castle, Icon Museum ,Saint Hilarion castle, Saint Magar Monastery, Buffavento Castle. The Legend of the Bellapais Monastery dates to 1198-1205 years. Bellapais Monastery in Northern Cyprus was constructed in Gothic style by different rulers such as: French King, Hugh III, King Hugh IV and others. In this area you can see modern holiday homes sharply contrasting to old Cypriot houses. Kyrenia Castle has one of the famous constructions in Kyrenia city in North Cyprus. The castle is thought to have been built to protect the town against the Arab raids in the 7th century. When Genoese took control of the city in 1489 theybuilt additional Northwestern and Southeaster towers as an extra precaution. But when Ottoman approached they conquered without any resistance. The Department of Antiquities created the atmosphere of live-time battle for conquest Kyrenia Castle in North Cyprus.

After the death of St. Hilarion in a cave on the mountain in the 10th century the Byzantines built a church and monastery carrying his name. St. Hilarion Castle in Northern Cyprus was originally built as a watch tower to give warning of approaching Arab pirates who launched a continuous series of raids on Northern Cyprus and the coasts of Anatolia from the 7th to the 10th centuries.
For some 400 years St.Hilarion castle became marvelous defense structure to repulse Arabic fighters. The windows provide a beautiful view of the village of Karmi and also you can see Kyrenia range and the Mediterranean .Moreover, even the snow-capped Taurus Mountains of Anatolia about 100 km to the north are visible as well.

Saint Magar Monastery in North Cyprus was originally built in outskirts of the Mountain and it has been preserved till the present day. From Saint Magar Monastery you can look at the Mediterranean sea and amazing places you will be astonished with. The Buffavento Castle in North Cyprus is on a hill peak 950 meters above sea level and it was built in (1192-1489) period as the defense line along with St. Hilarion Castle and the Kantara Castle to oppose Arabian invaders. A bold, daring feat of military engineering has used mostly the limestone rock form the escarpment on which it is built in Byzantine style. From Buffavento Castle in Northern Cyprus you can see Trodos Mountains - one of the amazing spots which provides visitors with wonderful views of the Mesaoria Plain. Archangel’s Church was built in 1860 and later became Icon Museum. Icon Museum in Northern Cyprus has all varieties of Icons collected from Kyrenia and the vicinity

The Apostolos Andreas Monastery in North Cyprus is dedicated to one of the apostles of Jesus Christ. He was first one who was called by Jesus to follow Him. Monastery is stated to have been built by Pope Ionise Oicoromus. Both Turks and Greeks consider the monastery a holy place,It is visited by many people for prayers. Greek St. George church in Northern Cyprus was constructed in the fifteenth century. It belongs to Orthodox order. The structure style of the church is a mixture of Byzantine and Gothic styles. It is possible to see cannon marks on the walls made within the period it was under siege for some time.

The Kantara castle is about 700 meters above sea level and its position is very advantageous for controlling the entrance to the Karpaz peninsula and The Mesaria plain. Although it is thought to have been constructed by the Byzantines because of the Arab raids on the island. Kantara castle in Northern Cyprus was involved in many battles of that period. The castle was surrounded with walls by King James in 1391. The castle has sections such as a defense line, dormitories, a cistern, vaulted rooms, and a signal tower. Lala Mustafa Pasa Mosque in North Cyprus is one of the beautiful constructions in the Mediterranean region. It has an unparalleled window with Gothic style tracery. When you visit this site you will be surprised with its beauty

Latin St. George Church in Northern Cyprus is one of the beautiful examples of the Gothic style of architecture. It is thought to have been designed as a copy of the St. Chapelle church in Paris. Many tourists come to see this place. Othello’s Tower in North Cyprus was built in the 14th century to protect the harbor from invaders.The present day name of the tower came into use during the British colonial period. In his famous tragedy, where the setting is a "seaport in North Cyprus" Shakespeare makes Othello a Moor. The hall in the Castle is used for many artistic and cultural performances today.

The city of Salamis was founded during the migrations that started towards the end of the Bronze Age by the tribes that had come from Anatolia .Salamis kept falling into different hands all the time. Many rulers had fight for control of this amazing city which dates back to Assyrian domination in 707 B.C. Famagusta in North Cyprus will open many other beautiful places which you can visit such as: Open air museum, where you can get acquainted with ancient history of Northern Cyprus, Sinan Pasa Mosque - the church had been built by a Nestorian Christian, The St.Barnabas monastery, Karpaz Peninsula – the lovely place for visitors to look at the 6th Century mosaics of the early Christian history.

The Historical centre of North Cyprus is Nicosia. The buildings have different architectural styles there. One can see an interesting mixture of Byzantine and Gothic styles . There are a lot of other places of interest to be impressed with in North Cyprus such as: The Selmiye Mosque, Venetian Column & Ataturk Square, The Kyrenia Gate, The Mevlevi Tekke Museum, Bedesten : The Saint Nicholas Curch, The Arap Ahmet Mosque. Guzelyurt in North Cyprus will show you ancient way of life. Not far from this place you will rediscover the amazing beauty of Vouni palace and Soli with all the archeological details of these human creatures. The Vouni palace in Northern Cyprus was destroyed by the people of Soli in 380 B.C., and was never reconstructed. The Soli in
North Cyprus was a prosperous city during the Roman period.