Kyrenia

Kyrenia occupies a small harbour on the northern coast of Cyprus, beneath the steep mountains that run along the island's shore. Its castle guarded the anchorage and offered refuge to the rulers of Cyprus. The Byzantines built an early fortress here, and later Lusignan and Venetian builders enlarged and altered it. A Byzantine chapel, towers and a broad courtyard preserve traces of these successive works.

The castle's access to the sea helped its defenders endure sieges during the struggles of the Lusignan period. After the Mamluks defeated King Janus at Chirokitia in 1426, members of the royal family took refuge behind its walls. The Venetians adapted the fortress to the age of cannon, adding massive defences around the older buildings. When the Ottomans invaded Cyprus in 1570 and Nicosia fell, the garrison surrendered Kyrenia without resistance. The tomb of the Ottoman admiral Sadık Pasha stands near the entrance to the castle.