ATTRACTIONS OF NORTH CYPRUSFamagusta AreaThe town of Famagusta was built on the ruins of the ancient city of Arsenoe which was itself built to replace the city of Salamis after its sacking by Arab raiders in 648AD and grew into a small fishing port. In 1291, after the fall of Acre, Crusaders began to settle in the town bringing with them the vast wealth they had accumulated in their conquests in the Holy lands, creating, in Famagusta, the richest city in the Eastern Mediterranean. To proclaim the superiority of Christianity and to appease God for their sins, the inhabitants built churches all over the the city. At one time there were 365 churches in Famagusta- one for every day of the year. Later conflicts between the Venetians and the Genose in the city, coupled with the increasing amount of resources and energy being channeled into defence in fear of an Ottoman invasion, seriously hampered trade and further development of the city. In 1571 the Ottomans took the city and Famagusta, no longer having a strategic or economic importance, reverted to the insignificant port town that it had been before. During British rule much of the architectural heritage of Famagusta was lost when stone was taken from many historical sites to build the Suez canal. Sights to visit No.23 ENKOMI (ALASIA) Enkomi seems to have appeared on the historical scene during the eighteenth century BC. Excavations carried out at various sites have shown that the metallurgical activity in Enkomi and several other sites in Cyprus increased during the Late Bronze Age (about 1650 - 1050 BC). This is the period in which the correspondence between the Pharaoh and the king of a country referred to as Alasia took place. The letters are baked clay tablets inscribed in the cuneiform script in Akkadian, the international language of the time. No. 25 ROYAL TOMBS
Excavations in the necropolis of Salamis brought to light a number of royal tombs. In general their architecture was similar and consisted of a trapezoidal court 9dromos) where the bloody sacrifices must have taken place, an entrance porch and a long burial chamber built from hewn limestone blocks. Though they were built in the eighth century BC, some of them were used as late as the fourth century AD.
St. Barnabus, who was a Cypriot Jew from Salamis, known as the founder of the apolostic church of Cyprus in AD 45, arrived on the island accompanied by St. Paul and St Mark during their first missionary journey. He is said to have been stoned in Salamis, when he returned a second time in AD 52. According to a myth, the location of his tomb was revealed to the Archbishop of Cyprus in AD 477 in a dream, and St. Barnabus was found in his tomb with a copy of the gospel of St. Matthew on his chest, said to be put there by St. Mark.
In the beginning of the sixteenth century famagusta was extended to become a large artillery-fort by the Venetians. Remnants of the
renaissance style rampart still encircle the old city of Famagusta nowadays. The length of the wall is approximately 3.3km; with 14
bastions and further protective structures. Initially there were merely two gates, the sea and the land entrances, but the traffic of the modern times required three more. In 1571following a besiegement of once year and heavy battles, the Ottomans succeeded in conquering the city. The heavy artillery, the thirteenth and fourteenth century, gravely demolished churches from the glorious times of
Famagusta. However, their ruins remain.
Excavations have shown that the history of Salamis goes back to the eleventh century BC. Archaeologists tend to believe that the first
inhabitants of the town came here from Enkomi after the earthquake of 1075 BC. Traces of a necropolis and a harbour of this early period have been located. Salamis appeared on the historical scene as an important trading
centre. The first coins were minted in the sixth century BC. Most of the ruins unearthed in excavations date from date from the recent Roman history of the city.
This citadel was built in the fourteenth century during the Lusignan period, to protect the
harbour. There is a Sea Gate on one side, along with a Land Gate; the two major entrances of walled
Famagusta. The citadel was originally surrounded by a moat. The tower was used as the setting for Shakespeare's famous tragedy, Othello, where "a seaport in Cyprus" is mentioned. The cathedral is known as one of the finest Gothic buildings of the Mediterranean. Its foundation stone is known to have been laid in 1928 during the Lusignan rule and the construction lasted until 1312. Until it became a mosque in 1571, the King of the island was first crowned as the King of Cyprus in St. Sophia in Nicosia and then as the King of Jerusalem in St. Nicholas in Famagusta, the city being closer to the Holy Land. No.31 ICON MUSEUM ISKELE
The Icon Museum is located in the Panagia Theotokos Church from the twelfth century, which has side-buildings from the fifteenth century and a modern bell tower. Apart from the exhibited religious icons, the church has exceptionally well restored frescos, such as the mural of Christ Pantocrater (the almighty) in the cupola, and the representation of Joachim and Anna, as well as Mary in the apses. |