 | ||
| Famagusta | ||
| district | Famagusta | |
|---|---|---|
| Residents | 40.920 (2011) | |
no tourist info on Wikidata:  | ||
| location | ||
| ||
Famagusta is a city in Northern Cyprus.
background
Famagusta (Greek Aμμοχοστος/Ammochostus, Turkish: Gazimağusa or simply Mağusa) is located on the southeast side of Cyprus. The city is considered an excellent example of defense technology and architecture of the Middle Ages. The best preserved Venetian city wall (15th / 16th century) is over 3 km long. Inside the wall are some examples of how the Lusignan kings built their churches. The Lala Mustafa Pascha Mosque (formerly St. Nicholas Cathedral) is a shining example. The freedom poet Namik Kemal spent 3 years in prison here during the Ottoman period. The city has a rich cultural and historical heritage. The ruins of the nearby Salamis testify to their past as one of the ancient city kingdoms. The grammar school, the theater and the bathing area were built here in Roman times. Nearby is that Barnabas Monastery, significant in Christian history. The saint's grave has been found here and a church has been built over it and the monastery nearby.
Famagusta was until the 1974 Civil War the Tourist stronghold of Cyprus. Since then, the former tourist district of Varosha (south of the old town of Famagusta) has been a military exclusion zone and is not accessible. A visit to the city with churches, city walls and the surrounding area is still worthwhile and is a must when visiting Northern Cyprus.
getting there
By plane
The nearest airport is in Ercan, about 50 km west of the city. This airport is only served directly from Turkey. Kibhas connects the airport with Famagusta nine times a day (for 11.5 TL). The buses stop in Famagusta at 1 Bus station west of downtown. Alternatively, taxis are available, the journey time is approx. 30-45 minutes.
An arrival via the airport Larnaca in the southern part of the island is possible, but there are no direct connections from the airport to Famagusta due to the division of the island.
In the street
Famagusta is using a four lane expressway Nicosia connected.
By boat
mobility
The old town can be explored on foot.
.jpg/300px-Othello_Castle,_Famagusta_(01).jpg)
.JPG/225px-Franciscan_Church,_Famagusta_(5).JPG)
.JPG/300px-St_George_of_the_Greeks,_Famagusta_(10).JPG)
Tourist Attractions
- 1 Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque in the former St. Nikolaos Cathedral, today Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque In the old town, which is well worth seeing, the Lusignan kings were crowned "kings of Jerusalem". The church, built between 1298 and 1326, is considered to be the most beautiful Gothic building in the Mediterranean. First the Lusignans were crowned kings of Cyprus in Nicosia (St. Sophia) and then kings of Jerusalem in the Cathedral of Famagusta. After the Ottoman conquest of Cyprus in 1571, the church was converted into a mosque. The impressive west facade shows that the cathedral was built in the style of Reims Cathedral. The rose window above the main portal is a fine example of Gothic architecture. A gallery above the main portal in front of the window front gave the royal family and the dignitaries of the church the opportunity to attend special festivities in front of the church.
- In the square to the left of the cathedral there is a mulberry fig (Ficus sycomorus), planted in 1299.
- In the shade of the mulberry fig, but in the inner courtyard of the Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque, is the Türbe of Mustapha Zühü Efendi, an important clergyman who was Imam Hatip and Kavan and who died in 1903. The tomb is unchanged. A canopy made of stone, consisting of four round arches and above a simple dome, rises above a square base. Below is the sarcophagus. The arched openings are closed by a wrought iron grille with a tendril motif. In front of it an entrance closed with an iron grille.
- 2 Othello tower, the tower is part of the Famagusta fortifications. The Venetians later placed their coat of arms with the St. Mark's lion in marble over its main entrance, which was built in the 14th century. The castle got its current name under the English colonial rule by referring to Shakespeare's drama "Othello", which was set in Cyprus.
- The Fortress wall originated during the Venetian rule at the end of the 15th and first half of the 16th century. However, the kings of the Lusignans had built defensive structures to protect the city in the early 13th century. Under Henry II (1285-1324), who also had the Franciscan church built, initiated the construction of the citadel with the Othello tower. Under Genoa's rule, work on the city wall was completed by 1464. Today there are 15 bastions in the city wall. At the neuralgic points of the port were the citadel (Othello tower), the sea gate (Porta del Mare), that is the tower most visited by tourists between the Othello tower and the southeast corner of the city wall, the arsenal tower. On the land side, the Porta di Limisso (Limassol gate at the Ravelin bastion in the southwest) and the Martinengo bastion (northwest corner) were reinforced. The city fortifications are still very well preserved today.
- 3 Ravelin: The Ravelin is a bastion in the southwest of the city wall, a crescent-shaped defense structure that protrudes far into the moat. Right next to it is the Land-Tor, once one of the only two entrances to the city. After conquering the city, the Ottomans renewed the gates, removed the bridges, built a moat in the moat and made a new entrance. Today you can enter the city through a wall gate from the southwest, right next to the Ravelin. A wide ramp leads to the city wall and can enjoy a delightful view over the walls and the old town.
- 4 Martinengo Bastion (Tophane Tabyasi): This bastion got its name after the builder, Ercole Martinengo (? -1550), a general, engineer and governor of Cyprus from Brescia. The bastion protrudes from the city wall like a spearhead and forms a large vaulted casemate, from which protected passages run in all directions, down to the moat level, to the gun chambers and up to the platform. Guns and crews were placed in safe rooms against enemy fire and projectile fragments.
- 5 Sea Gate (Porta del Mare): The sea gate was the second access to the city, in this case from the port.
- Museum with dungeon, in which Namik Kemak sat for 3 years. An entire district, a street and a school are named after him. The museum is in the courtyard of the Venetian Palace Palazzo del Provveditore.
- 6 St. Peter and Paul Cathedral (Sinan Paşa Camii / Sinan Paşa Mosque): was built in 1360 under the Lusignans.
- 7 Portico of the former Palazzo del Provveditore. The three arched portals made of sandstone blocks with the four round granite columns in front, including the row of arcades behind them, are the only thing that remains of the former Venetian royal palace. The palace stood here from the 13th to the 16th centuries. This is where Peter II (1357-1382) lived when, at the age of 12, he was crowned King of Jerusalem. After the coronation, fighting broke out between the Genoese and Venetians, heralding the end of the Lusignan rule. 100 years later the Venetians built a palace for the governor of Venice, the Provveditore. Only the portal of this palace can be admired today. The name of the Venetian governor, Giovanni Renier, along with the year 1552, is written on a marble slab above the central arch.
- 8 Cafer Pasha Bath: The bathroom (Hammam) dates from 1601 and is now used as a bar.
- 9 St. George Cathedral of the Greeks: The church was built in the neighborhood of the Orthodox Greeks, probably towards the end of the 14th century. A length of 39 m and a width of 22 m makes it one of the largest Orthodox sacred buildings. It was the cathedral of the bishop of the Orthodox community, the spiritual counterpart against the faith of the "Frankish" foreign rule. It was also the center of the Greek quarter in the south of Famagusta's old town. The walls were decorated with frescoes from the 15th century. They told the life of Christ. The cathedral could not withstand the bombardment by the Ottomans when they conquered Cyprus in 1571 and collapsed. The bullet impacts can still be seen today on the wall of the apse. The north wall and the pillars, the vault and the dome collapsed.
- 10 St. George Cathedral of the Latins
- Twin church The Knights of St. John and the Knights Templar: After the fall of Acre in 1291 and the loss of this crusader base, the Knights of St. John moved their headquarters to Famagustra. The churches were built next to each other, only 3 m apart. The Templars' church had a single nave and an apse. It was built at the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries and dedicated to St. Anthony. The Johanniter built their somewhat smaller church a few decades later. It looks more like a tower than a church. It has a single nave and is covered by a cross vault. It has a large apse. Both churches were lined with frescoes. The restored double church now houses the Cypriot Art Association.
- 11 Franciscan Church: As early as 1217, while St. Francis of Assisi was still alive, the first monks of this mendicant order are said to have settled on the island. The Franciscan Church with its monastery complex was built around 1300. By around 1400, further branches were added on the island. The construction of the church right next to the royal palace was commissioned by the king Henry II (1285-1324). Because he wanted to visit church day and night undisturbed, a passage was created that only applied to the king. The church has a single-nave nave consisting of three bays, which is followed by a shorter choir bay, which is closed on three sides. A southern side chapel was added to the second nave vault, the vault of which is still preserved. It is unclear whether there was another side chapel like a transept in the north. The church collapsed in the 14th century after being rebuilt by the Genoese.
activities
Anyone who has booked a hotel in or near Famagusta will want one thing above all - swimming in the sea.
Apart from a stroll through the old town, there are other excursions to offer Nicosia and on the Karpaz-Peninsula on.
shop
In a street that leads west from the cathedral to the city wall (Diocare Bastion), there is everything a tourist's heart desires: handbags, scarves, clothing, souvenirs and even gold jewelry. But don't expect too big bargains.
kitchen
The cuisine of Famagusta is Cypriot, so typical of the country with influences from Greece, Turkey and Lebanon.
- See also: Cypriot cuisine at Koch-Wiki
nightlife
accommodation
health
Practical advice
- Tourist information. Tel.: 90 392 3662 864.
trips
- 12 Salamis: Cyprus's largest city-kingdom. Large excavation area with a grammar school, bathing establishment, large amphitheater, Cyprus’s largest basilica, St. Epiphany, the Campanopetra basilica and the agora
- 13 Royal Tombs / Kral Mezarlari / Βασιλικοι Ταφοι between Salamis and Barnabas Monastery
- 14 Barnabas Monastery: Barnabas tomb, monastery and icon museum
- 15 Enkomi / Tuzla: Archaeological site of the Bronze Age city.
- 16 Karpaz
- 17 Nicosia
- 18 Güzelyurt
