Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
In 1964 the (TMT) Turk Müdafaa Teskilati, an underground Turkish Nationalist group,
took control of the castle, again for its strategic position. It has been in Turkish Cypriot
hands ever since, with a sheltered Turkish military base located on the ridge below.
You enter by the barbican main gate into the lower enceinte, once used as the main gar-
rison and stabling area. Then follow the meandering path up to the middle enceinte, ori-
ginally protected and sealed by a drawbridge. Here, remains of the church, barrack rooms,
four-level royal apartments and a large cistern, vital to the storage of water, are found.
Access to the upper enceinte is via a paved winding track, which leads to the Lusignan
Gate. Guarded by the Byzantine tower it opens on to the central courtyard, adorned with
more royal apartments, kitchens and ancillary chambers.
Finally one last climb takes you to Prince John's Tower. Legend has it that Prince John
of Antioch became convinced his two Bulgarian bodyguards were plotting to assassinate
him and had them thrown from the cliff, to their deaths.
From the tower on clear days you can see the Taurus Mountains, 100km away in Tur-
key.
In summer it's best to arrive early and avoid climbing in the heat of the day.
Bellapais (Beylerbeyi)
Charmingly sleepy, the little village of Bellapais sits snugly into the mountainside offering
spectacular views of the Mediterranean coastline below. The impressive remnants of Bel-
lapais Abbey are positioned on the village's lower flank from where narrow lanes rimmed
by pot-plant festooned houses creep up the hill. Just past the monastery there is a large car
park on the left, so you can avoid stopping in the main street.
Bellapais found literary fame after being immortalised by British writer Lawrence Dur-
rell, who lived here during the Ethniki Organosi tou Kypriakou Agona (EOKA; National
Organisation for the Cypriot Struggle) uprising against British rule. His entertaining mem-
oir of his time here,
Bitter Lemons of Cyprus,
is a love letter to the village and a way of
life now long gone.
1
Sights
Bellapais Abbey
HISTORIC SITE
(Zafer Caddesi; adult/student 9/3TL;
h
9am-8pm Jun-Sep, to 4.45pm Oct-May)
The exquisite ruins of this Augustinian monastery are reason enough to drive up the
mountain. It was built in the 12th century by Augustinian monks fleeing Palestine after
the fall of Jerusalem to Saladin (Selahaddin Eyyubi) in 1187. The monks who established
