“You are welcome Sir, to Cyprus” – Othello, William Shakespeare. Cyprus is an island that has inspired writers throughout the ages. From William Shakespeare who set “Othello” at a sea port in Cyprus, through to the eighteenth and nineteenth century […]
View some of the articles about Northern Cyprus below, or choose from one of the categories on the right. You can also perform a search about North Cyprus on the right hand side.
Byzantine Tombs | Kyrenia Opposite the Icon Museum, looking across the road to the west beneath the Perge restaurant, are tombs dating from the 4th C. There are many others is the area as this was the town necropolis. Though […]
Kyrenia Castle | Kyrenia The history of Kyrenia castle, shares its origin with the mountain castles and was built by the Byzantines for the same defensive reasons, to repel the Arab raiders of the 7th C. It is possible that […]
The most picturesque route for driving to the Alevkaya area is the road that turns to the left from Kyrenia to Famagusta mountain road at the Five Finger mountain pass. Alternatively it can be accessed from the north coast road […]
Clearly signposted from Kyrenia, this is a castle built on three distinct levels, each one designed to be self-sufficient and self-contained. Although it was not exempt from the ravages of war, and was besieged during the 13th C when an […]
Access to this ruined monastery is from the same mountain road that leads from The Five Finger Mountain to Alevkaya. After driving for about 4 miles (6.5km) slow down and keep looking down into the valley below. The monastery buildings […]
Kyrenia, with its picturesque harbour and adjacent castle is called the “Jewel of Cyprus”. It is, quite simply, exquisite! The town was probably founded circa tenth century BC and was one of the original city kingdoms. Its position on the […]
Bellapais Abbey | Kyrenia The Abbey of Bellapais has drawn visitors to the island of Cyprus since medieval times when the abbey was built. From the pilgrims who trod the ancient paths in search of a miracle through to the […]
Continuing westwards from Kyrenia, pass the turning to the left signposted Alsancak, soon on the right there is a sign for the Mare Monte Hotel. At present this hotel is closed and undergoing restoration, however the drive to the hotel […]
Called Pentadactylos in Greek. Beshparmak in Turkish, and Five Fingers in English. These are the three names by which the mountain range, that runs parallel to the north coast, are known, and there is one particular part of the range […]
This old church is now almost a total ruin, but it is the only church in Kyrenia of any historical interest. It is to be found in the narrow back street immediately behind the harbour almost opposite the rear entrance […]