Kyrenia (Girne) & the North - Cyprus - page 362

Beach , great for a sandy stroll. Continue along the coast for another 10km to the turn off for Esentepe and head
inland to the Byzantine 4 Antifonitis Monastery .
After visiting the monastery take the scenic ridge road for 17km west, parallel to the mountains until you
come to 5 Alevkaya (Halevga) where nature lovers can check out the Alevkaya Herbarium. Continuing 2.5km
to the west (on the main road), you'll see the battered ruins of the 11th-century Coptic Armenian 6 Sourp
Magar Monastery nestled in pine trees below. To get there, turn right at the picnic site and follow the forestry
track that winds down to the church.
Backtrack onto the main road and head west for 9km onto the Beşparmak (Five Fingers) pass until you get to
the Buffavento Cafe. Turn left here and take the winding road for 6km up to 7 Buffavento Castle for some of the
best views in North Cyprus. When you've finished scrambling around the ruins, exit the castle car park and con-
tinue along the tarmac road for 3km until you see the domed roof of the lonely Byzantine 8 Panagia Absinthio-
tissa Monastery below. Take the left-hand turn-off to the picnic ground to arrive at the church.
From here drive down into the tidy village of Taşkent, taking the second left-hand turn on the ridge road above
the village and continuing on this road as it heads northwest out of the village. From here it's 10km onto 9 Bel-
lapais (Beylerbeyi) and the beautiful Gothic architecture of Bellapais Abbey.
KEEPING THE COAST
The stretch of coast from Kyrenia (Girne) to Yenierenköy (Yiallousa) was once one of the most untouched habit-
ats in the region. Today it's seen many changes. New roadways have caused great swaths of coastline to be paved,
and large stretches of undisturbed land have been heavily and quickly developed, with tourism complexes shoot-
ing up en masse.
This development began in earnest when the 2004 Annan Plan, which provided a framework for the island's
reunification, stipulated that all undeveloped Greek land in the North would be returned to its pre-1974 owners,
and that compensation would be awarded in cases where land had already been developed. Ultimately the South
rejected the Annan Plan by majority referendum. However, Northern developers ploughed ahead in case an agree-
ment eventuated.
Turkish Cypriot newspaper Yeni Duzen stated that, in 2000, new developments covered 607,000 sq metres. In
2005, this area had increased to over 4.4 sq km. Development has affected much natural habitat, regional wildlife
and many ancient olive groves. Cultural heritage sites are also at risk. In 2004 the Turkish Cypriot Department of
Antiquities and Museums was up in arms after the necropolis of Vounos, near Kyrenia, was damaged: 140 ancient
tombs were 'bulldozed, damaged and completely flattened' by a private company building luxury-home com-
plexes. Even after discovery, the company pushed ahead, citing its right to build with government permits.
Politically, these incidents have only added to Greek Cypriot concerns over their rights and land ownership,
further complicating the most difficult aspect of any resolution process between North and South. For now, envir-