Mountain Castles's tag archives
The Mountain Castles
Posted under Kyrenia on Sunday, 22 November 2009 by Lavinia Neville Smith
North Cyprus is blessed with three castles built high upon the ridge of the Kyrenia mountains, each has something different to offer, and two of them involve steep climbs.
St. Hilarion, high above Kyrenia, and Buffavento, some six miles east as the crow flies, are the ones that present the...
Five Finger Mountains
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 that is truly the “Five Finger” mountain. According to one...
St. Hilarion Castle
Posted under Kyrenia on Monday, 26 October 2009 by Lavinia Neville Smith
St Hilarion Castle | Kyrenia
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 attempt was made to overthrow...
Buffavento Castle
Posted under Kyrenia on Monday, 26 October 2009 by Lavinia Neville Smith
Buffavento Castle | Kyrenia
As the name implies, this castle is buffeted by the winds, and standing at 3,100 feet it is the highest and most inaccessible of the three castles. To get there, take the turning that is signposted at the top of the Five Finger mountain pass and follow the route for a...
Kyrenia Castle
Posted under Kyrenia on Sunday, 25 October 2009 by Lavinia Neville Smith
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 there may have been a Roman fort to protect the trading route that brought...
