Famagusta North Cyprus
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Lala Mustafa Pasa Mosque:
LalaMustafaPasa the building which was constructed between the years 1298-1312 in the Lusignan period is one of the most beautiful Gothic structures of the Meditteranean region. The Lusignan kings would be inaugurated as the King of Cyprus at the St. Sophia Cathedral in Nicosia first, and following this they would be crowned as the King of Jerusalem at the St. Nicholas Cathedral in Famagusta.
In the 1571 The Cathedral was turned to the mosque. The western front of the building had been influenced by the architecture of The Reims Cathedral. The 16th century Venetian gallery in the courtyard is today used as a reservoir for ablutions. A Venetian insignia is located above the circular windows at the entrance.
Othello Castle:
The Castle was built in 14th century, by the Lusignans. İt had been used as one of the most important entrances to Famagusta. St. Mark lion in relief lies just above the entrance, under which the name of captain ‘Nicolo Foscari’ -the captain who restored the tower- and the year ‘1492’ is inscribed.
The Castles includes towers and corridors leading to artillery batteries. In the castle yard there are cannons, iron and stone cannon balls, which belong to the Spaniards and Otomans. The Othello Castle takes a part of Shakespeare’s Othello tragedy.
Salamis:
The history of Salamis goes back to the 1 1| h Century BC. When the ‘dark ages’ came to an end in the Mediterranean World, Salamis appeared as a very important trading centre.
Following the unexpected death of Alexander Great near Babylon in 323 BC., his generals divided the lands, of the Hellenistic Empire and Cyprus fell to the share of Ptolemy who established his kingdom in Egypt. During the Hellenistic and Roman Era Salamis received its share of wealth of the period and once again became an important trading centre. Most of the ruins unearthed in excavations date from this recent history of the city.
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