Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
as the prime location for landing its army. Almost all Greek Cypriots and many British re-
tirees fled.
Now, 40 years later, Kyrenia supports a large and growing tourist industry, mainly from
Britain, Germany and Turkey.
KYRENIA'S CAROB HISTORY
The Old Harbour may be chock-a-block full of restaurants and cafes today but the beautiful stone buildings that
line the waterfront once played an important role as carob warehouses for the port's carob industry.
Carob has been cultivated in Cyprus since the 1st century AD and was one of the island's major exports from
the medieval era right up to the end of the British Mandate period. As the Kyrenia region harvested nearly 30% of
Cyprus' carob tree pods, Kyrenia port became the centre for the trade.
The harbour-front buildings were used as warehouses to store the carob (as well as other exports such as olive
oil and cotton) before being shipped out to Europe. Although the international carob trade collapsed in the 1960s,
carob continues to be harvested in North Cyprus to be made into the beloved
pekmez
(molasses) condiment.
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Sights
The compact Old Harbour and Old Town district just behind the bay are home to
Kyrenia's major sights.
