Kemerli Konak is the only luxury boutique hotel with 38 rooms, located in the historical Zeytinlik Village of Kyrenia... The hotel, which embodies its authentic structure and Cypriot texture in its lines; It is only 15 minutes away from Kyrenia center and approximately 45 minutes away from Ercan Airport. You will find the peace you are looking for by the pool at Kemerli Konak, with olive trees surrounding it on all sides. The hotel, which takes its name from the historical aqueduct located nearby, also; With an authentic yet luxurious service approach, no detail has been overlooked to ensure the comfort of our valued guests. Kemerli Konak, designed entirely with the traditional architecture of Cypriot houses; It is furnished with authentic Cypriot beds, specially carved chest-patterned dressers and furniture. The hotel has rooms with mountain and sea views; It offers traditional Cyprus breakfast, central heating-cooling, transfer from the hotel to the city center and wireless internet service. Archway Restaurant, located right next to Kemerli Konak and offering outstanding examples of unique Cypriot Cuisine, welcomes its guests with its authentic structure. In addition, the old name of the village, which took its name from the 'Templar Knights', was 'Templos'. It is rumored that Knights Templar lived in this village in the Middle A
  The Vouni Palace was constructed in the 5th century by the Persian sympathizer Doxandros, the king of the city of Marion, to keep the settlements supporting the Greeks (Soli) under control. There are 137 rooms in the palace. These include the administrative sections, bedrooms, storerooms, offices and bath rooms. When the Persian rule in the region was replaced by the Greek rule in 449 B.C. the palace lost its function. The palace stood erect for seventy years, but was destroyed by the people of Soli in 380 B.C., and was never reconstructed. Cisterns carved out of the rocks were used to meet the demand for water. In some of the storerooms, holes for amphoras can be noticed. The baths are old examples of hot-baths. Excavations have brought to light eathenware jugs blackened by the fire that destroyed the palace containing what has been described as 'the Vouni treasure'. The treasure includes gold and silver bracelets, ornamented silver cups, and hundreds of coins with the Marion, Kition, Lapithos and Paphos seals. The archaelogists have come across signs of s ettlements belonging to the pre-neolithic age on the island of Petra tou Limniti visible from Vouni. To the south of the palace are the remains of the Temple of Athena built towards the end of the 5th century B.C. The temple has two courtyards and an enclosed sacred ground. The holes in which the statues were placed is visible. The different sections of the Vouni remains are: the entrance, the residential rooms, the courtyard with columns, the kitchen courtyard, the cistern, granaries, baths, living rooms and offi
This is a royal palace built by the Venetians on the ruins of a palace built by the Lusignans in the 13th century. The front which has survived was built in the 16th century and the columns used here were brought from the Salamis ruins. On the arch in the middle there is an insignia belonging to the Venetian ruler Giovanni Rei
St. Hilarion Castle Located west of the main Kyrenia-Nicosia highway, in the Kyrenia Mountain range, St Hilarion castle is the westernmost and best preserved of the three redoubts built by the Byzantines and Crusaders. The legend of St Hilarion Although there is not adequately evidence, the castle is said to be called after the saint of the name. St Hilarion, a little-known hermit and monk fled persecution from Palestine during the 7 th century to dwell and die up in the castle. According to legend he was extremely deaf and resilient to the shrieks of pagan demons that had been lurking and wandering about in the mountain peak. Disgusted at their inability to make him go, they left mountain in peace. During the 10 th century a Byzantine chapel, monastery and later a fort grew around his tomb. It is known that the Byzantine fort was called Didymos , the Greek name for the twin peaks overhead. The Lusignans corrupted this to Dieu d'Amour , maybe confusing a mixture of legends and believing that this was the castle of Aphrodite . With walls and towers that appear to sprout out of the rocks almost randomly, it is a fairly-tale sight living u p to Rose Macaulay's much-quoted description ”a picture-book castle for elf-kings” and the rumour that Walt Disney used it as a model for the castle in Snow White and Seven Dwarfs. The legend that was spread locally says that St Hilarion housed 101 rooms, of which 100 could easily be found; the last, an enchanted garden with a magnificent treasure belonging to an elusive “queen” of Cypriot folklore, most probably a holdover of Aphrodite worship. How to get there If you are going from Kyrenia, take the main road out of town, directed south for Nicosia (Lefkosia). The dual carriageway leading off the roundabout climbs the Kyrenia mountain range, passing the silhouette of Atatürk high on the right. At the top of this climb, about 50 yards (45 m) before the mountain pass turn right at the sign saying St Hilarion Castle. After turning right follow the route as directed by the army signs. This is a controlled road and stopping and taking photographs are signed as forbidden. The road is narrow and twisty that is why careful driving is essential. On the right you will pass the Turkish military camp and the route continues to wind up. You can view Kyrenia harbour to the right and the route reaches its highest point with the vista towards the twin peaks of Didymos ahead. The road continues to the base of the castle walls where a car park is located with a small snack bar. Practical info During summer, come early or later in the day if you can, as climbing to the top of 730 m is tiring and can be quite a difficult work on a hot day. Make sure you wear stout shoes because the ground is often uneven. For climbing St Hilarion a walking stick, camera, binoculars and a bottle of water are recommended accessories. Be aware of many long drops everywhere, especially when taking children. After scaling the castle you can have refreshment at the café by the car p
The St. Barnabas church has a rich collection of icons mostly dating from the 18th century. The basalt mill in the courtyard is from the Enkomi settlement and the other columns and stones are from Salamis. The rooms where the priests lived have been restored and turned into an archaelogical museum. It is possible to see a variety of works of art from a wide range of historical spectrum from the Neolithic Period to the Roman period. Bronze and marble pieces are also being exhibited at the mus
It is very centrally placed in nicosia. It was converted into a mosque from a Latin church. As it was in a bad state in the 1890's, it was restored by Ali Pasha in 1902. The mosque is seen to be under Arab influence; it has a noteworthy wooden ceiling. In 1962, when its foutain was being knocked down, a marble sarcophagus with inscriptions in Greek was uncovered. The style of writing and the huge cross on it indicate that it dates back to the Byzantine period. It is used as a wedding-hall at pres
  Built between 1298 and 1312 during the Lusignan period, it is one of the most beautiful Gothic buildings in the entire Mediterranean world. The Lusignan kings first lived in Nicosia in St. The King of Cyprus in the St. Sophia Cathedral, and then the St. Sophia Cathedral in Famagusta. They were crowned King of Jerusalem in St. Nicholas Cathedral. These ceremonies were held until it was converted into a mosque in 1571. The architecture of the cathedral's western façade, which is the most beautiful and best preserved, was influenced by the Reims Cathedral in France. The 16th century Venetian gallery of the cathedral, which has a unique Gothic style embroidered window, is located in the courtyard and is used as a fountain today. A Venetian coat of arms can be seen above the round windows at the entrance. It is thought that the relief decorated with some animal figures comes from a temple in Salamis. The apse of the cathedral, like most Cypriot churches, is in the Eastern style and has three compartments. The historical sycamore tree or tropical fig (Ficus Soycomorus or Minimal Deciduos) located at the entrance of the cathedral is the oldest living creature on the island of Cyprus, with a history of approximately 700 years. It is said that the tree was planted in 1298, when the construction of the cathedral began. Its trunk divides into 7 branches after 2.70 meters. The tree, which bears fruit seven times a year, casts a fascinating shade in front of the cathedral. The tree, whose roots reach East Africa, has been important in the region since the time of the ancient Egyptians due to its beautiful fruit, its ability to create a semi-covered shade for hot places, and its valuable timber for furniture making. This may be due to the fact that the fruits of the tree are called Pharaoh fruits among the pub
This is a sixteenth century inn, the name meaning, great inn. It is situated in Asmaaltı Street and is classified by the Department of Antiquities as an ancient building. The view of the inn from the rear, and so much of its appearance is like a grim fortress, that in the old colonial days, the British used this khan as Nicosia Central Prison. Windows were always high up, and small because of marauders (rich merchants at the inn were inevitably a source of great temptation) and in the Middle Ages, glass was very expensive. In the interior courtyard is a picturesque octagonal tower used for prayers and is therefore a miniature mosque or masjid, with a picturesque fountain below. Around the court and downstairs are the stables, while the merchants had their bedrooms upstairs. The building has curious octagonal chimneys; perhaps guests were allowed to have small charcoal braziers in their rooms. In all, about 67 people were accommodated, but without hot water, TV or electric blankets. The main entrance to the Great Inn is in Asmaaltı Street, but you would hardly notice it, as it is so cluttered up with shops and stalls. This inn was built about 1570 A.D. by Muzaffer Pasha, so it is not a mediaeval building. If you really want to see mediaeval inns, you must go to Tripoli in Lebanon, while in the old Persian towns of Isfahan and Shiraz you can actually see the old customs lingering on. "Caravans" come into the khan yard at night, cook their meals in the open, wash, pray and "bed" down the donkeys for the night. That's the place for a TV documentary film. For some time the Great Khan was used as a builders' yard, but now all this paraphernalia has been removed and the khan awaits restoration. Since this article was written by the William Dreghorn, the Great Inn has been restored to its former glory. It now houses ats and crafts workshops, galleries, caffe and a lovely inner courtyard restaurant, frequented by artists, locals and tourists alike. It sometimes feel like a oasis in the hustle and bustle of the c
This shipwreck, which was first detected at a depth of three meters by a sponge diver in 1965, was brought to the surface by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania as a result of studies carried out between 1968 and 1969. The 15-meter-long hull of the ship, exhibited at the Sunken Ship Museum in Kyrenia Castle, is made of Aleppo pine. Around 400 amphorae found on the ship were of Rhodian production and probably contained Rhodian wine. The fact that plenty of carbonized almonds were also found in the shipwreck shows that almonds were an important nutrient for the crew. It is accepted that this ship, which had loaded goods from Rhodos from the west, sank while it was about to stop at Kyrenia on its last voyage towards the e
This monument which is within the Necropolis is thought to have been erected in the name of Nikokreon, the last king of Salamis. It is stated that Nikokreon chose to commit suicide rather than surrender to Ptolemaios. Before killing himself, he killed his wife and family, and set fire to the palace. In the middle of the platform that can be reached by climbing a set of echeloned steps, there is a kiln in which iron bars and statues made of stone and clay belonging to that era were found. The statues made of half baked clay have the characteristics of the late Classical Greek sculpt