Northern Cyprus
Description:
We start our trip in the morning and depart for Nicosia, the capital of the country since the 11th century AD. We cross the city from one edge to the other, making up our own idea of architecture and the combination of modernity and history. We arrive at the border point, where, having presented passports, we cross the border and find ourselves in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).
Then our way lies in the mountains of Pentadaktylos, where on one of the peaks is the fortress of St. Hilarion. This fortress was built by the Byzantines in the 8-10 centuries to protect the northern coast of the island from Arab raids. It was rebuilt and enlarged many times during the Louisignan and Venetian dynasty. Rising to the top of the fortress (732 meters above sea level), we will see the northern coast of the island from edge to edge. This is one of the most beautiful views in Cyprus.
Walking through the entire fortress, we descend from the mountains and head to Famagusta, one of the most beautiful and wealthy cities of the Middle Ages, for this we need to cross the whole of Cyprus from northwest to southeast through the occupied territory.
In Famagusta, which the Turks call "Gazimaguza", we will visit the temple of St. Nicholas, Othello Castle, climb the fortress walls that protected the city. The Church of St. Nicholas is a Notre-Dame-de-Paris or Rhine Cathedral building, a stunningly beautiful building of classical Gothic architecture, built in the late 13th and early 14th centuries for the coronation of the French kings of Cyprus from the Louisignan dynasty. Currently, this building has been turned into the Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque, which we can visit and get acquainted with Muslim traditions.
After lunch we head to the abandoned town of Varosha, a very specific sight. Until 1974, Varosha, a tourist suburb of Famagusta, was the main and richest resort in the Mediterranean. Here rested all the rich Europe, the most expensive hotels, restaurants and shops – all this is abandoned and called “ghost town”. We can see all this, being on the best beach of Cyprus, here you can swim and appreciate the prospects of development, in case the two parts of the island unite.