Famagusta, also known as Gazimağusa, is a walled city in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. I travelled there in a dolmus from Nicosia.
The Walled City of Famagusta is simply awesome. If you are on holiday in North Cyprus, it would be a complete shame if you didn’t come here for a couple of nights. I stayed at the superb Betul Guest House, which made a welcome change from staying in dormitories.
Most people come here to visit the Abandoned City of Varosha, or the Famagusta Ghost Town. But the Walled City of Famagusta should not be missed.
You can also visit the Ancient City of Salamis, just 10 km to the north. Easy if you have a rental car, slightly time-consuming if you are relying on public transport.
But first, a little history.
Famagusta was founded between 285 and 247 B.C. by the Egyptian King, Ptolomeus Philadelpus, who is said to have named it after his sister, Arsinoë. Around 647 A.D., due to the Arab raids across Cyprus, including the nearby City of Salamis, the inhabitants fled to Famagusta.
In the hope that it would deter Arab pirates, they called it Ammochostos, meaning ‘hidden in the sands’, An influx of Christian refugees fleeing the downfall of Acre in Palestine in 1291, transformed Famagusta from a tiny fishing village to one of the richest cities in Christendom and in the Lusignan period (1292-1489) it became the 2nd largest city in Cyprus, after Nicosia.
Keep on reading, as I have added quite a few snippets of historical details under each of the 21 sights detailed here.
1. Ravelin Bastion & Venetian Fortifications
The Venetian Walls, which encircle the ancient city, were built by the Lusignans in the 13th century but were rebuilt in 1489 by the Venetians, who needed to strengthen them against the Ottomans.
The walls, which are 3 kilometres in length, are, in places, up to 18 metres high and 9 metres thick.
The Rivettina Gate, right next to the Ravelin Bastion, is one of 3 entry points into the Walled City of Famagusta and was the gate I used when I arrived in Famagusta.
2. St. Peter and Paul Church – Sinan Pasha Mosque
This Gothic Style Church was constructed with the money earned by Famagustian merchant Simon Nostrano during a trip to Syria. It was turned into a mosque, as nearly all churches were, by the Ottomans, and renamed as the Sinan Pasha Mosque.
3. Namik Kemak Dungeon
Nationalist poet, Namik Kemak, spent 38 months in this dungeon when he was exiled to Cyprus in 1873, before being pardoned by Sultan Murat V in 1876.
4. Venetian Royal Palace
The Lusignan dynasty originated from Poitou in France and ruled Cyprus for nearly three centuries between 1192 and 1489, establishing the Kingdom of Cyprus, until it became an overseas possession of the Venetians in 1571, when the island was conquered by the Ottomans.
The Palazzo del Proveditore, commonly known as the Venetian Palace, was a royal palace in Famagusta, originally built by the Lusignan Kings of Cyprus in the 13th Century but was demolished and reconstructed by the Venetians in the early 14th Century.
It was used as a living accommodation until the reign of Peter II in 1369, when it was partially destroyed by a series of earthquakes.
They moved the capital of Cyprus from Nicosia to Famagusta and renovated the palace ruins between 1552 and 1554, transforming the Gothic style features and replacing them with Italian Renaissance architecture.
The Venetian Palace was largely destroyed by the Ottomans. What remains today is the front façade, with its three magnificent arches.
5. St. Nicholas Cathedral – Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque
The St. Nicholas Cathedral is the most stunning of all the historical buildings in Famagusta. It was built between 1298 and 1312. Peter I of Cyprus was crowned King of Jerusalem here in 1360. It was converted into a mosque by the Ottomans in 1571.
It is the most important mosque in Famagusta.
6. Cafer Pasha Hamam & Fountain
This early Ottoman hamam was built by Cafer Pasha in 1605 within the grounds of the Franciscan monastery, which dates back much further. He also improved the water supply within the city walls by building water fountains, and the one pictured below is the best preserved one and dates from 1597.
7. Ruins of the St. Francis Church
This was the most important Franciscan Church in Famagusta. And was originally part of a Franciscan monastery, which doesn’t exist today. It was built in the early 14th Century, and funded by Henry II, King of Cyprus, who reigned between 1285 and 1324.
8. Nestorian Church – St. George Xorionos Church
Sir Francis Lahkas and his brothers of the Nestorian Order had this church built in Gothic style between 1360 and 1369. In 1905, it was renamed Saint George Xorinos. Check out the frescos:
9. St. Anna Church
Sadly, the St. Anna Latin Church is cordoned off, but you can still admire it, albeit from the other side of the fence. It is located in the Syrian quarter, near the Martinengo Bastion. It is built in the French Gothic style and dates back to the 14th Century.
10. Underground Church
This was carved into a rock to provide a place of worship in a time when the Orthodox order was banned. Sadly, the smell inside didn’t invite me to have a decent look.
11. Tanners’ Mosque
Initially built as a Jacobite Church in the 15th century, dedicated to St Kathrena. It was later converted into a mosque during the Ottoman period.
12. Carmelite Church
The Carmelites are a religious order of the Catholic Church, which originated from the Carmel mountains of Northern Israel and was founded in the early 1200s. They first came to Cyprus in 1226, and the church was built in the 14th Century as part of a monastic complex dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Two shots with different light:
13. St. Mary Armenian Church
Adjoining the Carmelite Church is the Armenian Church, which dates from the same period:
14. Martinengo Bastion
The Martinengo Bastion was built by the Venetian architect Giovanni San Micheli between 1550 and 1559. With its triangular design, it is one of the finest examples of military architecture in the Mediterranean, covering more than one square mile.
No decent photo. Sorry!
15. Keltikli Baths
The Keltikli Baths, pretty much in a collapsed ruin, but you can still observe the domes. Not much info on them.
16. St. Claire Ayia Phodou Church and underground temple
Here are the ruins of a Medieval Franciscan Sisters Monastery, dating from the 14th Century. It was at first known as the Santa Chiara Church but was renamed in the 20th Century, Ayia Phodou. In the same building, there is another underground church.
17. Othello Castle
The castle, as seen today, which replaced the original from 1310, was reconstructed by Nicolao Foscarino, a Venetian captain, in 1492. The castle is said to have been home to Lieutenant Christoforo Moro, the Governor of Cyprus in the early 16th Century and inspired Shakespeare’s Othello. It wasn’t open to the public on the 4 times I passed it.
18. Porta del Mare and St. Anthony Church
The Porta del Mare was one of two original main entrances to Famagusta, the other being Rivettina Gate, listed above.
Next to the bastion is the ruined St. Anthony Byzantine Church.
19. St. George of the Greeks Church
This Nestorian Church, officially known as the Church of St. George the Exiler, is the second largest church in Famagusta. Built in the 12th Century, it served as the Cathedral for the Greek Orthodox community.
The structure proved to large and the roof eventually collapsed and the rest was destroyed during the Siege of Famagusta.
What remains today is a 95% ruined structure, but you have to come to admire it. In the afternoon light, it really is quite unique.
20. Ay. Nicholas Church
Not to be confused with the St. Nicholas Cathedral, this small Byzantine church was built in the 15th Century and is one of four churches in the Orthodox quarter.
21. Ay. Zoni Church
The Ayia Zoni church in the southeast corner of Famagusta, close to the St Nikolas church (above), is one of three remaining Byzantine churches in the area. It is dedicated to the sacred belt of the Virgin Mary.
