“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.
Turkish is spoken by over 63 million people worldwide, and originates from Ottoman Turkish, which dates back nearly 1,200 years. The Ottoman Turkish language was based mainly on Arabic and Persian, but was replaced under one of Ataturk’s reforms in 1928, […]
This is probably the most beautiful of the restored houses in the area adjacent to the Selimiye mosque and it can be found in the street that passes the Haydar Pasha mosque. Dating from the Lusignan period the house has […]
The Martinengo Bastion | Famagusta Situated on the north west corner of the city this bastion is diamond shaped and was considered by the Ottoman forces to be impregnable. It is constructed on top of solid rock and maybe for […]
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 […]
This bastion is adjacent to the modern entrance to the harbour, it is named after the Commander of the Ottoman forces who succeeded in effecting a successful entry into the city by riding his horse into the whirling wheel that […]
The Bedestan, is to be found immediately adjacent to the Selimiye Mosque and is an amalgamation of two churches. One dedicated to St. Nicholas of the English and the other dedicated to The Virgin Mary. It became the Orthodox Metropolitan […]
This house is to be found in the street heading south from the pedestrian precinct behind the Sultan’s Library. It is a restored building that is now used as a cultural centre and exhibition hall. There are long galleries where […]
Famagusta | North Cyprus Originally called Ammochostos (hidden in the sand), the town’s origin dates from about 275BC when it was settled by people from Egypt. The population increased and the port was established as the harbour of Salamis silted […]
The Land Gate and Ravelin | Famagusta The land gate is probably as old a building within the city as the citadel, though the current bridge and gateway entrance are relatively modern. The road now passes through one of the […]
Cyprus is an island that has been inhabited for over 9,000 years, from the Neolithic Stone Age to the civilised 21st century, mankind has walked this fertile land. Early settlers most probably came from nearby countries, with Turkey only 40 […]