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KYRENIA
Girne is a fascinating town on the northern coast of Cyprus
founded by the Myceans ca. 1600 BC. Its tiny horse-shoe shaped
harbour with the backdrop of the Besparmak Mountains help
to make Girne one of the most beautiful areas on the island.
The Old Harbour is bordered by what used to be carob warehouses
but are now cafes, restaurants and bars. Fishing boats, colourful
yachts and excursion boats are moored in this pretty spot
and to the east of the harbour is Girne Castle. A truly magnificent
edifice constructed by the Byzantines in the 9th century to
ward of Arab invaders. This fortress was further enhanced
by the Lusignans and then by the Venetians and is one of the
most imposing sites in the Mediterranean. The Castle houses
the Ship-wreck Museum where the remains of a 4th century cargo
boat including a number of artefacts and it's cargo of amphorae
are displayed.
FAMAGUSTA
Gazimagusa was originally a small commercial and fishing port
but with the advent of the Crusades and the reign of the Lusignans
it attained much greater significance. The Old Town is surrounded
by magnificent walls, 17 meters high and 9 meters wide, which
were constructed by the Lusignans and further reinforced by
the Venetians in 1489. There are reputed to be 365 places
of worship in Gazimagusa and among the foremost of these is
the Lala Mustafa Pasa Mosque. Formerly St. Nicholas Cathedral,
where the Lusignan kings were crowned, its name was changed
after the Ottoman conquest of the island in 1571. It remains
as one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture to this
day. The Knights Templar, The Knights Hospitaller and Othello
also share in the great history of this city.
NICOSIA
Once the ancient kingdom of Ledra, Lefkosa flourished when
it become the capital of the Lusignans. The Old Town is surrounded
by a star shaped wall of about three miles in circumference,
which was further fortified by the Venetians in 1567, and
flanked by eleven Bastions. The Selimiye Mosque, formerly
St Sophia Cathedral, is the earliest and perhaps the finest
of the Lusignan churches, commissioned by the Queen Alix Of
Champagne, wife of Hugues I, and build in the style of the
cathedrals of Rouen and Chartres. In the 16th Century it was
transformed into a mosque with the addition of two minarets.
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