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Kyrenia is founded in the 10th Century BC. , by
Achaean settlers and was for many Centuries one of the 10 Kingdoms of
Cyprus. In the 7th Century it was fortified by Byzantine who built the
original Castle later expanded first by the Lusignans and then by the
Venetians. Under Ottomans the town had remained a minor port. The British
built a harbour and a Quay. Under British
Empire the Town was an en-route resting place for officers,
captains and their families for its picturesque situation, its beautiful
harbour and leisurely and romantic atmosphere. The Town still retains its
character with many restaurants and bars by the Harbour and small hotels
spreading east and west of the town, along the coastline which raises to
form an impressive backdrop with the mountains behind. The region now an
attractive holiday resort boasts many historic sites worth visiting. Among
these the Harbour Castle and the Shipwreck Museum, The St. Hilarion Castle, The Bellapais
Abbey, the Folk Art and the Icon Museums are the most important.
ANCIENT GRAVEYARD OF GIRNE (BALDOKEN GRAVEYARD)
When Ottomans conquered Cyprus in 1571, the land, today known as
"Islam Graveyard" outside from the castle of Girne, was reserved as "Cemetery for
soldiers" in the first years of the Ottoman era. It was used for the same
purpose until the end of 17th century. Cistern, water canals and
architectural tombs were built in it. When the cemetery for soldiers began
to accept non-soldiers, the name was changed to Islam Graveyard. This is
known also as "Graveyard of Forlorn". St Andrew British Church, District
Club and Tennis Court were built beside this graveyard. Until
recent years, this graveyard was known as Baldoken Graveyard. It was
restored by the Foundations Office in 1995.
ANTIPHONITIS CHURCH
It's known that this church was used to be seed of an important
monastery. Its dome is placed on eight round columns which form an
irregular octagon. The part called as bema and the rest of the church were
tried to be separated by keeping two of the columns separated from the
walls. Considering its features this building is one of the finest of its
kind in Cyprus which remained till
today. The nartex part with barrel vaults on the west and the cloister
arrangements on the south were added in 14th or 15th centuries. The
cloister arrangement on the south is an unique example of gothic stone
work. However, nothing left behind from the wooden upper-cover and the
stone parapet made between the columns. Antiphonitis means "Replying
Christ". The building in its original form was fully covered with wall
paints (Frescos) instead of nartex. Most of these frescos have
unfortunately disappeared. The Frescos can be dated in two different
periods: 12th or 13th centuries and 14th or 15th centuries. Besides the
Biblical themes, the frescos also describe the Saints. Moreover, although
they couldn't survive till today, it's known that themes from the Old
Testament were also described. Babtise of Christ, Birth of Mary, St.
Symeon Stylites are among the wall paints which remained till today.
BELLAPAIS ABBEY
The present day name is the corrupt form of the Abbaye de la Paix' or
the Abbey of Peace. The building is regarded as a masterpiece of Gothic
art, and the most beautiful Gothic building in the Near East. The first monks who were known to have
settled here were Augustinians who had to flee from Jerusalem when the
city fell to Selahaddin Eyyubi in 1187. It is known that the original
construction was built between 1198-1205, and a large part of the present
day complex was constructed during the rule of French King Hugh III
(1267-1284). The cloisters and the refectory were built during the reign
of Hugh IV (1324-1359). Following the Ottoman conquest the monks were
turned out and the building was given to the Greek Orthodox Church. The
monastery begins with a gate, whose tower is a kater addition, and a
forecourt. The church which is situated on one side of the courtyard is
the best preserved part of the monument and dates from the 13th century.
The murals which have survived above its facade are thought to be from the
15th century. The forecourt leads to cloisters of 18 arches. Under one of
the northern arches there are two Roman sarcophagi which once served as
lavabo. The door being the sarcophagus leads to the refectory of the
monks. The marble lintel above the door contains the set of coats of armas
of the royal quarterings of Cyprus Jerusalem and the Lusignans. This is an
exquisite sample of Gothic architecture and the finest room in the
monastery. The room contains a pulpit for addressing the monks during
their meals. Six windows in the north wall which illuminate the room are
reinforced by a rose window in the eastern wall. A door in the western
wall leads to the kitchen and cellar built under the refectory. The rooms
between the refectory and kitchen are thought to have once served as
lavatories. The east side of the Inner courtyard was occupied by the
chapter house and work rooms (undercroft). The first of these functioned
as the administration office of the abbey and retains its interesting
Gothic stone carving: a man with a double ladder on his back, another man
represented between two sirens, a woman reading, two beasts attacking a
man, a woman with a rosary, a monkey and a cat in the foliage of a pear
tree under which a man holding a shield is seen, and a monk wearing a
cloak. The column standing at its centre is thought to have come from an
early Byzantine church. The rooms of the monks occupied the second floor
above this section. A Pair of stairs on the south of the inner courtyard
lead to the treasury room in the North-west corner of the monastery.
SAINT HILARION CASTLE
The castle is named after St. Hilarion, a hermit monk who fled from
persecution in the Holy Land and lived
and died in a cave on the mountain. Later lived and died in cave on the
mountain. Later in the 10th century the Byzantines built a church and
monastery here. Along with Kantara and Buffavento, St. Hilarion Castle was
originally built as a watch tower to give warning of approaching Arab
pirates who launched a continuous series of raids on Cyprus and the coasts of
Anatolia from the 7th to the 10th centuries. Some
400 years after it was first built, the castle became a place of refuge
and also a summer residence for the Lusignans. When the Venetians captured
Cyprus 1489, they
relied on Kyrenia, Nicosia and Famagusta for the
defence of the island and St. Hilarion was neglected and fell into
oblivion. The castle consisted of three wards on different altitudes, each
with its cisterns and storage rooms. The first and lowest of these was
used to accommodate the garrison and horses. It began with a barbican and
its main gate and other walls, which are reinforced by horseshoe-shaped
towers, were built originally by the Byzantines in the 11th century. The
ruins of the stables where the animals were kept and the water cisterns an
invaluable water source during the long medieval sieges- have survived to
the present day. The entrance of the main gateway of the middle castle,
which consisted of a church, Belvedere barrack rooms and a four-storey
royal apartment, was closed with a drawbridge. From the church of St. Hilarion its apse
has survived. The refectory which served as the - dining hall for the
Lusignan nobles is the largest room of the surviving ruins. When the
weather is clear enough, Kyrenia range and the Mediterranean and even the
snow-capped Taurus mountains of Anatolia
some 100 km north are visible. Beyond the royal apartments there is a
large water tank to collect the winter rain. After a steep windy climb
access to the upper castle is gained by a Lusignan archway guarded by a
tower. The courtyard of the upper castle rests under the natural
protection of the twin summits, some 730 m above the sea. These two peaks
have given the mountain its first name Didymos (Greek for "twin"), and
from which the Crusaders derived the corrupted name of Dieu d'Amour. Two
cisterns sunk into the rocky courtyard supplied water to the upper castle.
The rooms on the east side served as kitchens and waiting rooms. The royal
apartments occupied the western side of the Courtyard. From the gallery,
which was originally on a basement, two Gothic tracery windows, one with
two stone windows seats on either side, and thus known as the "Queen's
Window", have survived. The window offers a beautiful view of the village of
Karmi. A set of rough
steps leads to the uppermost section of the castle known as the Tower of Prince John. Tradition has it that
Prince John of Antioch, having been convinced that they were plotting
against him threw his Bulgarian bodyguards to their death.
THE CASTLE OF GIRNE (KYRENIA)
The castle of Girne, one of the most impressive
and powered castles to have survived since the middle ages until today,
was supposed to be built to protect the city from pirates in the 7th
century. The remnants left from the Roman age show that the history of
Girne castle harks back to older times. Written findings mention the Girne
castle, and that the King Richard III of England had captured the island
during the Crusades in 1911. It is known that the castle of Girne had been
subjected to changes during the sovereignty term of French Luzinyen
lasting for 300 years. The castle was heavily demolished by the attack of Genovese' in
1373. The Venetians rebuilt the castle in order to gain protection from
the Ottoman fires. New
city walls and round towers were added during this
term. When the castle was finished, the church of Saint George that was
used by Knights Templar and was supposedly built in 1100, was within the
city walls. The castle is reached by a marrow bridge built on a deep
ditch, which was used as an inner port filled with water until the years
of 1400. The figures of three lions standing on their back paws on the
vault of the inner door were made by Luziniens. The tomb is seen when
entered through the door belonging to Algerian, Sadik Pasa, Ottoman
Admiral who died during the capture of Cyprus in 1570. Today the
Venetian Tower (in the southwest), Lusinien Tower (in the northwest), and the
prisons of Lusinian period were restored as animations. Also, Samic,
compositions belonging to Vrysi Neolithic village taking place 10 km far
in the east of Girne, findings, animations of tombs found in Kirni village
during Early and Middle Bronze Age, and Sunk Ships Museum are all open as exhibitions.
THE CHURCH OF ARKHANGELOS (ICON MUSEUM)
Arkhangelos Church, down in the historical yacht
port,was built in 1860 and worth seeing. The tower that was added after
the church was built is a sign point that can be seen from every part of
Girne. Here is a museum that shows the many splendid icons that were
collected from Girne and its environs.
THE KYRENIA MUSEUM OF FOLK ART
The Kyrenia Museum of Folk Art situated on the Kyrenia Harbour road and was opened in 1974.
It is a fine example of pre XVII. century buildings which have
traditionally housed Cypriots. These buildings consisting of a ground
floor and a upper floor have their main entrances opening to the harbour.
These typical Cypriot houses contain many traditional Cypriot items. On
the ground floor, there are items such as oil-mill, plough, agricultural
instruments, large earthenware fan, and workbench which were used until
recently but are not known by the younger generation. There is a room for
a watchman on the stairway leading to the upper floor. The first room of
the upper floor there are examples of especially chosen works and handy
works (crochet work, materials embroidered with colorful, threads or
silver threads, bedspreads, tables covers, head scarves, pillow cases,
woollen socks, bowls etc..) from various areas of Cyprus, displayed in glass
cabinets. The second room used as a kitchen contain water jugs, wooden
mortars, wine bowls, seramic bowls. There is a corner in the third and
largest room which was used as a resting place. In the middle of the room,
a wooden bed, a wooden cupboard, a cabinet containing various women's and
men's clothes, raised wooden shelves with seramic and metal cups displayed
upon them. The third largest room has been arranged in this way. It is
possible to see, clothes, chests, tables, chair, wall cupboards, doors and
windows, in the all parts of the museum.
THE MUSEUM OF PUBLIC ARTS
Within the historical yacht port of Girne, the house of the 18th century
now serves as museum. Olive oil presses, primitive ploughs, cubes, a
wooden threshing sled, agricultural tools, a loom for weaving, pulley wheels are exhibited in this
museum. At the upstairs through wooden stairs from entrance hall, the
ancient garments, table cloths, head scarfs, woollen socks, wedding
dresses, carved trousseau chests, silver embroidery bed covers, cushions,
bedsteads, wooden boards and window roll-down shutters are also exhibited.
THE MUSEUM OF SUNK SHIP
The sunk ship exhibited in the castle of Girne was built in 389 BC and was 80
years old. About 400 pieces Anphoras,29 basalt millstones, about 9000
pieces of almond were found in this sunk ship that was thought to be a
cargo ship during Hellenistic ages after the death of Alexander. About 300
pieces of lead shows the ship was used for fishing. This sunk ship is
about 1.5 km near Gime, at depth of 18 m and found by sponge fisherman in
1965. It was taken out of water by the experts of Pennsylvania University. It is 15
m in length, made of Aleppo pine. The wooden surface of the
ship is coated with a strong lacquer, to protect against Mediterranean
wood-boring maggot. The kitchen utensils, wooden spoons, olive bottle,
glasses,saltcellars show the ship's crew was only four
persons. |
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