Castles in Cyprus, from crusaders to Ottomans

The south of Cyprus isn’t a place of postcard castles, but it is full of fortresses with a lot of history, from the crusaders and the Lusignans to the Venetians and the Ottomans. Here are the ones you can visit in the government-controlled area, ranked, with what official sources say, plus what’s going on with the northern ones.

Kolossi, the Hospitallers’ keep

Kolossi Castle, about 9 km west of Limassol, is a medieval stronghold the tourist board ranks among the island’s most important. It rises among the fertile fields of the Kouris valley, and in 1210 King Hugh I of Lusignan handed the estate over to the Hospitallers. Tradition also places Isaac Comnenos’s defeat by Richard the Lionheart there in 1191.

Limassol, the wedding castle

In central Limassol, above the old port, Limassol Castle is first officially mentioned in 1228. The Ottomans rebuilt it in 1590, its cells were a prison until 1950, and today it houses the Cyprus Medieval Museum. Tradition places Richard the Lionheart’s marriage to Berengaria of Navarre in Limassol, though the exact spot is disputed.

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Larnaca, the fort on the promenade

At the end of the Finikoudes promenade stands Larnaca fort. The Larnaca tourist board notes that the chronicler Florius Boustronius credits it to King James I of Lusignan, between 1382 and 1398, to guard the harbour, and that it took its present shape under the Ottomans. The British used it as a prison, and its gallows were in use until 1948. It costs €2.50 and opens every day, though the medieval museum on its second floor is closed for renovation.

Nicosia, the Venetian walls

They’re not a castle, but they’re the most impressive fortification in the south. Nicosia council describes the 16th-century Venetian walls as an eleven-bastion star pierced by just three gates, named after Kyrenia, Paphos and Famagusta, and sees in them a model of Renaissance military engineering. It didn’t save the city, as Nicosia fell to the Ottomans on 9 September 1570.

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Larnaca’s watchtowers

A lesser-known chapter is the Venetian watchtowers of Larnaca district. The tourist board counts four, built more than 500 years ago as an early-warning system against attack from the sea, at Alaminos, Pervolia, Pyla and Xylofagou. The Pervolia tower, from 1563, still has the winged lion of Saint Mark above its doorway, holding a sword instead of a book, unique on the island.

The castles of the north

Kyrenia Castle, St Hilarion Castle, Buffavento Castle and Kantara Castle, and the walls of Famagusta with Othello Tower, lie in the part of the island that the government has not controlled since 1974. They’re much searched for, but no official source I can cite gives their opening hours or prices, so I don’t rank them with the southern ones, and what is known about each is on its own page. If you want to go, start with Northern Cyprus, Kyrenia and Famagusta, and read up first on crossing to Northern Cyprus.

If old stones with a story appeal, move on to archaeological sites in Cyprus or monasteries in Cyprus. In the west, Paphos Castle guards the harbour.

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