The Mediterranean resort town of Kyrenia is located in the northern part of the island of Cyprus which is currently partially recognized by the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Initial settlements at the location of the city appeared almost eight thousand years ago, the written mentions of Kyrenia were found in documents with which more than three thousand years. It is clear that the city attracts great attention to such a historical heritage. Sightseeing in Kyrenia is not a little and some of them I want to tell.
First of all I think it is necessary to note the fortress of Kyrenia, which constantly completed and was finally built in the 16th century, on the site of the Byzantine fortress of an earlier building and belonging to the 7th century AD. Throughout its existence, the fortress was used not only as a defensive structure, and for example, served by the residence of Isaac Comnin, during the Great Briting reign in the 19th century as a police base, then the forces of the Cypriot National Guard were placed on its territory, and at the moment the museum is.
Among the exhibits of the museum you can see the soldiers of warriors in the armor and the form of different times, which were defenders and residents of the fortress. A variety of devices that served for torture prisoners and cameras are presented in the caasemates.
In addition, there is a shipwreck Museum in the fortress, in which the well-preserved remains of the ship and its cargo in the form of amphoras for wine, millstones and other items raised from the seabed in the middle of the last century are exhibited. The age of findings refers to the times of Alexander Macedonian and has about 2,300 years.
On the suggestion of scientists there are two versions about the death of the vessel. The first is shipwreck during a storm because of the broken obtained, but it does not exclude the fact that the ship has become a victim of attacks of pirates, since the valuable items were not found, in the form of coins or jewelry at the site of detection, which gives reason to believe that that the ship was flooded after robbery. You can visit the fortress both independently and as part of the excursion group. Tickets for visiting the museum are sold at the box office at the entrance.
Another attraction can be called the Castle of St. Illarion, which is fifteenth minutes drive from Kyrenia, on the slope of the Besparmak mountain range. His name went on behalf of the monk of Illarion, who settled in the fourth century of our era in one of the mountain caves, and later the church and the building of the monastery were erected at this place. Due to repeated raids of Arabs, the monastery had to strengthen, which lasted up to the 15th century, as a result of which an excellent fortifications appeared, consisting of three levels of defense. Because of his inaccessibility, the castle was used as a residence of the Cypriot kings and their surroundings.
Different buildings were placed at different levels to maintain the livestock of the castle. On the ground there were soldier barracks and premises for economic needs, water tanks. Above is the church of the 11th century, at the top level of defense there were kitchen and royal chambers. With its strategically important location and inaccessibility, the castle had an invaluable service to Turkish Cypriots during the Greek-Turkish conflict, which was fifty years ago. The rocker Cypriot, who took the fortress, did not allow the control of the Greeks-Cypriots over the expensive leading from Nicosia in Kyreno. Now in one of the halls of the castle there is a collection of artistic works, which reflect the history of this bastion throughout its existence.
The castle is open to a visit from 9.00 to 16.30 every day. The input price goes within three euros.
The construction of the 11th century also includes another castle in the vicinity of Kyrenia, this is the Buffavento Castle. In its location, it is slightly higher than the castle of Holy Illarion, but within sight, which played the role of warning about the approach of the enemy. In the Kyrenia mountain range, there were three such locks and in the case of danger, a signal was filed in the form of smoke, which made it possible to prepare for combat actions in advance.
I also advise to visit partially destroyed, but remaining as beautiful and interesting from the historical and architectural point of view of the monastery, which is Bellapis's abbey, which was created near Kyrenia in the 13th century by Crusaders.
For its history, the abbey was repeatedly attacked and loans. Initially, the genuses in the second half of the 14th century, and two more centuries, Ommans, two centuries. After that, the monastery gradually came to launch. Nowadays, the placement of the refectory is well preserved, in which some of the events and concerts of chamber music are sometimes held,
And the Church of Panagia Asproforuss, the services in which were held before the events of 1974, as a result of which this part of the island became part of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
An interesting place for tourists of the Orthodox religion will be the church of Archangel Mikhail, who, after the events of the forty years ago, became a museum, where the icons collected from the now existing Orthodox churches of the northern part of Cyprus were exhibited to review. Unfortunately, many icons and objects of the church utensils were stunned after the Greeks-Cypriots have strongly left the northern part of the island, but what managed to collect and preserve is currently under the protection of the Turkish authorities. More valuable exhibits that are even populated in private collections around the world, the Orthodox clergy of Cyprus is trying to return to their homeland in various ways. The church-museum is open every day from 8.00 to 15.30, and on Thursdays from 8.00 to 17.00.
And these are just a few interesting places that can be visited during the holidays in Kyrenia. Attractions both in the city and in his district there are many quite a lot and everyone can find for themselves what is more interested in him, and also to get acquainted with the centuries-old history of this edge. Holiday and time spent on visiting these places will be remembered for life. You personally make sure that Kyrenia is not in vain called the pearl of Northern Cyprus.