Northern Cyprus: Kerinia

It’s time to travel and now we’re heading to one of my favorite cities in fascinating medieval Cyprus. And this is the city of Kerinia. A city about the atmosphere of which there are hundreds, thousands, and maybe even hundreds of thousands of legends.

The city, which is still in the occupied territory of the Turks. A city that fascinates with its beautiful views, architecture, quiet streets and, of course, history. A city whose love stories will surprise even you: betrayal, jealousy, revenge.

The castle! Many people say: “He who has not been to the castle of St. Hilarion has not seen Cyprus!” And indeed, the medieval castle fascinates and falls in love with travelers. And when you climb to the highest point of the castle (732 meters), you will have breathtaking views of the city, the sea and the mountains.

And, of course, we admire the Abbey of Belapais, the first Catholic monastery in Cyprus. Today it is a museum representing a masterpiece of Gothic art. Lace in stone! The famous English writer Lawrence Darell in his book Bitter Lemons described his life in the village of Belapais, even before the division of Cyprus, when Cypriots with Greek and Turkish roots lived together.

I have been working on the division of Cyprus for several years. Together with my friend Alya Balayeva, a professional photographer, we create a documentary project about this war.

It is based on the stories of real families of both Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots who survived the war. All these stories about the division of Cyprus, about the division of this people, I plan to tell you. Come on!