Kyrenia or Girne – Bellapais and Karmi beckon

cyprus girne

Kyrenia, in Turkish called Girne, is a port city with more than 33,000 inhabitants in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
In the 10th to 9th centuries BC Chr. Keryneia became one of the nine city kingdoms in Cyprus. At that time the independent Keryneia was under the rule of an unnamed dynast who stood on the side of Antigonus I Monophthalmos against Ptolemy I in the Third Diadoch War. However, Seleucus I, an ally of Ptolemy, conquered the city in in 315 BC.
In 312 BC the dynastic system in Keryneia was dissolved by Ptolemy and the city and its territory were placed under the control of the Salamian king Nicocreon, a former comrade-in-arms of Alexander the Great before Tire and allies of Ptolemy.
The city received an aqueduct, possibly under the Roman emperor Claudius; the city is also mentioned in an inscription from the Flavian period. It is not certain whether it was civitas.
The city became known to archaeologists and ancient historians through the Kyrenia ship, which is to be seen in the city's Shipwreck Museum. The almost 15 m long ship sank by 300 BC.Under the Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komnenos, the castle was expanded as much as St. Hilarion and Kantara on the Karpas, because there was a fear in Constantinople that the island would be invaded by the Seljuks, who had already conquered large parts of Asia Minor.

Girne / Kyrenia - a short history of the city

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Girne / Kyrenia - a short history of the city

Wilbrand of Oldenburg, at the time Bishop of Paderborn and Utrecht, was very close to Emperor Otto IV, when between 1211-1212, he was send to prepare another crusade to the Holy Land, where he especially explored Cilicia and Cyprus.

Girne / Kyrenia - middleage Castle and Harbour

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Kyrenia - Castle and Harbour

With its location directly at the harbor entrance of Girne / Kyrenia, the fortress in its current form, which dates back to the 15th century, gives the impression of an important and impregnable fortress that knows how to protect its citizens.

Kyrenia - a picturesque Venetian Harbour Town

Kyrenia - a Venetian Harbour Town

One of the region’s many highlights is the picturesque port town of Girne which is famous for its historic and perfectly crescent-shaped harbour set against the dramatic backdrop of the Five Finger Mountains.

Bellapais Monastery in Kyrenia North Cyprus

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Bellapais Monastery in Kyrenia North Cyprus

Nestled in the delightful village of Bellapais, high in the Five Finger Mountains, is the Bellapais Abbey. The name Bellapais is said to derive from the French “Abbaye de la paix” meaning Monastery of Peace.

St Hilarion - the mighty Crusader Castle

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St Hilarion, the Crusader Castle

Along with Kantara and Buffavento, St. Hilarion Castle was originally built as a watch tower for approaching pirates who launched a series of raids on Cyprus and the coasts of Anatolia from the 7th to the 10th century. By the 10th century, a Byzantine chapel and monastery had been added to the tower’s site and joined by a fort in the 12th century.

Cyprus - beautiful, but still devided island paradise

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Cyprus - beautiful island paradise

At the beginning couple of our readers have ask for getting some more detailled information about Cyprus, because lot of holiday makers take the chance to go to North Cyprus by ferry-boat from Antalya, Alanya or Silifke once being at the Turkish Riviera. 

Buffavento - the famous Chateau de Lion

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Buffavento Castle

Buffavento Castle - better the ruins of the medieval hilltop castle in Northern Cyprus - is one of three castles in Pentadaktylos Mountain next to the castles of Kantara and St. Hilarion.

Hike to the historic olive grove of Kalkanli

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Hike to the historic olive grove of Kalkanli

The olive tree needs a long time to grow big, but after that can get several hundred years old. Such and other miracles of nature, we should experience in Northern Cyprus during a trek that took us along the historic olive grove of Kalkanli.

Pretty Village Karmi (Karaman) - next to Kyrenia

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Pretty Village Karmi

Karaman or Karmi is undoubtedly the prettiest and most well-kept village in Northern Cyprus. Time here seems to have stood still; little cobbled streets, meander around, running mountain streams and wild-life are the only sounds you are likely to hear.

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