Sights
Edit ThisDjamboulat (Canbulat) Gate, an entry point to the Famagusta Old City
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Othello Castle
Edit ThisOthello Tower
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This castle is, aside from the venetian walls, a second defensive fort, built by the de Lusignans in the 13th century. It was reinforced and expanded in the beginning of the 16th century by the Venetians. According to legend, this is where Cristoforo Moro, a high Venetian official in Cyprus during the years 1506-08, killed his beautiful but unfaithful wife Desdemona. The case inspired Shakespeare to write his play Othello, hence the present name of the castle.
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St. Nicholas Cathedral
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Nowadays a mosque the St. Nicholas Cathedral was built in 1298 by the de Lusignans. It is undoubtedly one of the most impressive and best preserved churches in Cyprus. Several Kings of Cyprus (and Jerusalem) were crowned in this church. When the Ottomans conquered the town from the Venetians in 1571, the cathedral was transformed into a mosque, equipped with a minaret and an offering table, and renamed Lala Mustafa Pasa Cami.
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Church of Sts. Peter and Paul
Edit ThisBuilt in 1358, this church became the Sinan Pasa Mosque during the Ottoman period. Celebi Mehmet Efendi, a Turkish diplomat of the 18th century (died in 1732), is buried in its court.
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Venetian Walls
Edit ThisDjamboulat (Canbulat) Gate, an entry point to the Famagusta Old City
photo by: www.cypnet.co.uk
The so-called 'Venetian Walls' belong, like the St. Nicholas cathedral, to the de Lusignan period. They are 2,5 miles long and enclose the entire old city. The walls were originally more than 6 feet thick, and were equipped with several turrets. With the introduction of artillery, in 1489, the Venetians decided to strengthen the walls, making them 60 feet tall and more than 20 feet thick. Outside the walls a moat was dug, and kept full of water at all times. There were two entrance gates, accessible by drawbridge. But all this fortification could not avoid Turkish conquest in more..
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