Kyrenia fortress
| Kyrenia fortress Girne kalesi |
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 Kyrenia fortress |
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| Creation time : | 10th century | |
| Castle type : | Harbor fortress | |
| Conservation status: | Rebuilt. Museum. | |
| Place: | Girne | |
| Geographical location | 35 ° 20 ′ 29.8 " N , 33 ° 19 ′ 20.5" E | |
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The fortress Kyrenia ( Turkish Girne kalesi ) is located on the north coast of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in Girne (German also Kyrenia ) east of the old city port.
history
The oldest remains of the Kyrenia harbor fortress date back to the 7th century. In the 10th century the fortress was enlarged by the Byzantines and at the beginning of the 12th century by the Crusaders . In 1373 it was almost completely destroyed by the Genoese . The Venetians continued to expand the fortress in the conflict with the Ottomans and gave it its present form. The British used the castle as a prison before turning it into a tourist attraction with several museums, including the Shipwreck Museum, from 1960.
nature
The fortress is surrounded by a wide moat. The gate wall with ascending ramps is spacious and angled. Behind it in the inner courtyard is the Byzantine St. George Chapel from the 12th century, whose high prayer room is equipped with Corinthian columns . The sarcophagus of the Turkish admiral Sadık Pascha († 1570 before Kyrenia) can be seen in the gateway. In the Venetian Tower, dioramas with costumed dolls recreate the life of the guards in the castle.
Shipwreck Museum
The Shipwreck Museum holds the " Ship of Kyrenia ", which was discovered off the coast in 1965. The ship and its equipment are located in three rooms of the east wing of the castle. In room I, which can be reached from the inner courtyard, there are Rhodian amphorae (the cargo totaled 400 of these transport vessels) that contained wine and oil, and photographs by the underwater archaeologists documenting the salvage work on the ship and cargo. In room II there is a replica of the ship's main bulkhead in original size, in a showcase ship accessories and items from the probably only four-person crew are on display. In addition to wine and oil, the sailing ship transported almonds and millstones. On the gallery of the third room is the ship's hull, which was originally 14.75 m long and 4.2 m wide.
Web links
- The shipwreck museum , travel guide to Northern Cyprus, internet travel magazine schwarzaufweiss GbR, Bremen