Story
The story of Paphos Castle
This fortress at the western end of Paphos harbour was born from a disaster. In 1222 an earthquake destroyed Saranta Kolones, an older fortress about 600 metres to the north-east, and the Lusignans built and expanded a new castle here in the 13th century. The Genoese occupied it in 1373, raised its walls, and held off a Cypriot attack with siege towers; their rule formally ended in October 1374. The Venetians took the castle in 1489, and in 1570 they destroyed the western tower so the Ottomans could not use it.
In 1592 the Ottomans rebuilt it, as a marble slab above the entrance records, and kept a guard of 100 men and 12 cannons here. The main block is a large rectangular tower with an enclosed courtyard, and its ground-floor rooms served as prisons and barracks. When the British arrived in 1878, it became a salt depot.
Today it welcomes visitors and every September hosts the Paphos Outdoor Cultural Festival.
This story is compiled from Wikipedia and other open sources; dates and numbers are checked against the source. The text is shared under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. Source ↗
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More highlights in Paphos & Akamas
- Tombs of the KingsThe Tombs of the Kings is a large necropolis about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) north of Paphos harbour in Cyprus. In 1980, it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with Nea Paphos in modern Paphos and Palaepahos in modern Kouklia.
- Sanctuary of Aphrodite at KoukliaThe Sanctuary of Aphrodite Paphia was a sanctuary in ancient Paphos on Cyprus dedicated to the goddess Aphrodite.
- Agios Neophytos MonasterySaint Neophytos Monastery lies in the territory of the community of Tala, 1 km north of the village, and 15 km north of Paphos, is one of the best-known monasteries in Cyprus. It was founded by monk Neophytos in the 12th century.
- Paphos LighthousePaphos Lighthouse is a well known lighthouse on the island of Cyprus, near to the city of Paphos. It is sited on a peninsula known as Paphos point which extends into the Mediterranean Sea, at the south western end of the island.
- Paphos Archaeological ParkNea Paphos ("New Paphos") was an ancient city in Cyprus founded in the late 4th century BC. It was built as a successor to the former administrative and religious center of the Cypriot “city-kingdom” of Paphos in modern Kouklia.
- AkamasAkamas, is a promontory and cape at the northwest extremity of Cyprus with an area of 230 square kilometres. Ptolemy described it as a thickly wooded headland, divided into two by summits (a mountain range) rising towards the north.