Kyrenia Castle & Harbour

Kyrenia Castle lies at the entrance to the town's famous harbour, and stands majestic guard over the port. The Castle and Harbour are the most visited place in Northern Cyprus due to a remarkable state of preservation and being fully accessible to the public. The horse-shoe shaped harbour is one of the prettiest to be seen in the whole of the Mediterranean. The Castle offers a fascinating glimpse into Cyprus history, provides stunning views to visitors and is home to a shipwreck museum, which is one of the world's most important and well-preserved pieces of marine history.
The Castle
Kyrenia has existed since the 10th century BC, but the first evidence of the castle is from Roman times and was subsequently fortified by the Byzantines with four towers linked by walls. It provided refuge for the Isaac Comnenos family, then despotic ruler of Cyprus, against Richard the Lionheart. It was strengthened and enlarged by the French Lusignans, but the current appearance of the Castle mostly dates back to Venetian rule from around 1489. The Venetians were concerned about invasion by the Ottomans, so set about fortifying Cyprus.
The walls of Kyrenia Castle were enlarged, thickened and reinforced to defeat artillery attacks and to resist any siege. The Venetians replaced the original drawbridge at the castle's entrance, with the protected gatehouse that still exists today. They also kept the 12th-century Byzantine church of St George the Castle, safely within the walls. When the Ottoman invasion finally occurred in 1571, the Venetians seem to have given up without a fight! Very Italian. The exterior fortifications are in remarkable condition and look like they were constructed fairly recently. The entrance leads you to a central parade ground area, on the way passing a tomb of an Ottoman admiral. The central area is lined with guardrooms, living quarters and stables and ramps leading to defences on the upper sections of the walls. You can climb steps that take you to the Lusignan royal apartments and the small Byzantine chapel. In the depths of the castle, you’ll discover dungeons, storage rooms and the all-important ' magazines', where gunpowder was stored clean and dry, ready for use. The battlements of Kyrenia Castle are worth the climb for the view alone, and you can walk around the whole extent of the castle's walls. The Castle is also home to one of the world's most important pieces of marine archaeology. In 1965, divers off the coast of Northern Cyprus discovered what has been found to be the oldest recorded shipwreck. Dating back to 300 BC it was a trade ship, carrying cargo that included jars of almonds and wine and sank in about 100 feet of water just offshore. It was brought to the surface and is kept in a specially-controlled atmosphere to ensure its continued preservation and is shown with part of its final cargo. The shipwreck features on 3 Cypriot euro coins.
The Harbour
Kyrenia is now a major tourist attraction with a relaxed, inviting and calming atmosphere. Pleasure boats and luxury yachts crowd around the quayside and diners fill waterfront tables from which it takes only a moment to recognise that many of the older buildings surrounding the harbour were once warehouses. These now bustle with new life as shops, bars or restaurants, but they once stored carob beans and powder for export, a trade for which the island was famous until recent times. Due to its strategic location, Kyrenia has always been involved in commerce and maritime. Ships would ply their trade down the Aegean coast of Turkey, taking in islands like Samos and Rhodes, before calling in to Kyrenia on the way to Egypt. With commercial shipping confined to the new harbour further east, Kyrenia harbour is now left for pleasure and for the romantics.