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

  Bellapais, unchanged and unhurried since its colonial days, this enchanting village has been immortalised in the book "Bitter Lemons" by Lawrence Durrell. The centre piece of the charming village and its main attraction is Bellapais Abbey. Perched precariously on a natural terrace, the abbey stands guard over the whole of the northern coastline, and is considered to be one of the most beautiful and indeed most important Gothic buildings in the Near East. Here, you can while away your days exploring the impressive remains of the abbey, or simply relax with a during under the "Tree of Idleness", an ancient mulberry made famous in Durrell's Bitter Lemons, and let the world pass you by. Ancient folklore suggests that those seated beneath this famous tree, become lazy and unwilling to work! The views from the village are superb, and from every vantage point, the plains of Kyrenia and the azure blue Mediterranean beyond, beckon and invite. Above the abbey lies the charming village of Bellapais. Tiny lanes and narrow streets, cris-cross haphazardly away from the main square, and scattered amongst the whitewashed buildings are many excellent and surprisingly inexpensive cafes and bistros. Bellapais is an ideal haven for those seeking a calm and relaxing opportunity to sample the Cyprus of a bygone era. &n

Karpaz Yarımadasının Apostolos Andreas ya da Zafer Burnu olarak bilinen en doğu ucunda yer alan bu manastır hem Rumlar hem de Türkler tarafından kutsal bir yer olarak oldukça değer görmektedir. Mucizeler Yaratıcısı, Rüzgarların Hakimi ve Yolcuların Koruyucusu vasıflarını taşıyan Apostolos Andreas’a (St. Andrew) adanmış olan manastırda yer alan kilise, görkemli mimarisinin yanı sıra göz alıcı avizeleri ve ikonları ile mekanın mistisizmini arttırmaktadır. Manastırın ziyaretçileri için burada gerçekleştirilen ayinler dışında bir diğer önemli imkan ise adakta bulunabilmeleridir. Sadece ortodoks ziyaretçiler değil Apostolos Andreas’ın gücüne inanan hemen hemen herkes giriş kapısının yanında bulunan adak yerine birer mum dikerek dilekte bulunur. St. Andrew'in, Hz. İsa tartafından papazlığa çağrılan ilk kişi olmasından dolayı dini ünvanı "ilk çağrılan" anlamında "O Protoklitos" olmuştur. Hristiyan inanışına göre St. Andrew bir gözü kör bir kaptanın kullanmakta olduğu bir tekne ile bir ziyaret dönüşünde burada kıyıya çıkmış, kayaya vurarak şifalı bir suyun kaynak bulmasını sağlamış ve kaptanın görmeyen bir gözünü iyileştirmiştir. Şu anda modern kilisenin altında içme suyu bulunan kuyuların bulunduğu küçük odanın 15. yüzyıldan kalma bir şapel olduğu düşünülmektedir.   This is one of the pilgrimage centres of Orhodox Church of Cyprus, and is at the tip of the Karpas peninsula. It was once the Lourdes of Cyprus, served not by an organized community of monks but by a changing group of volunteer priests and laymen. An enormous modern plaza of pilgrims lodgings frames the slightly older monastery buildings wrapped around the church. Below, the modern church steps lead down to a square, vaulted chapel, three baptismal basins fed by a sacred spring and an old wharf. It was on this site that St Andrew briefly landed in Cyprus on his final missionary journey back to his Palestinian homeland. His footfall revealed a spring whose waters miraculously healed the blind captain of his ship.   &n

This museum has a small but beautiful collection of Turkish carpets that is worth popping in and having a look at if you're a textiles fan. It's tucked behind the Bedes

The cemetery that has existed in Kyrenia for a long time is known as the Ancient Islamic Cemetery, Baldöken Cemetery or Kyrenia Islamic Cemetery. The cemetery, which was previously called a martyrdom, later became a general cemetery with the burial of those who were not martyrs. The cistern built by Muhassıl Seyyid Emin Efendi in the cemetery was restored by the Greeks in 1

Ağa Cafer Pasha Mosque, located in a stone-paved ramp street leading from Kyrenia Port to today's city center, is one of the two oldest mosques in the city center. Built of cut stone, the mosque has a rectangular plan and a single minaret with a single balcony. Hasan Kavizade Hüseyin Efendi Fountain is located just southeast of the mosque. There are three arches made in relief on the northern façade of the fountain, and the one in the middle has a marble inscription dated 1257 (Hijri) (1841 Gregorian) decorated with an inverted moon, rosette and branch mot

Samanbahçeevleri is of historical importance. With the rapid increase in population in the city in the 19th century, a mass housing project was carried out for those with inadequate financial means. In this respect, it is seen as the first example of social housing in Cyprus. Samanbahçe Houses, a hexagonal planned and dome covered square fountain located in the center of the neighborhood consisting of single type and adjacent houses, once met the water needs of the neighborhood. Samanbahçe, which consists of 72 houses and was restored by the Foundations Administration, UNDP-PFF, with the financial contributions of the European Union between 2003 and 2004, is one of the places that best reflects the culture of Cyp

It is a two-storey building with a rectangular plan, located in the courtyard of the Venetian Palace to the west of Namık Kemal Square. The door of the single cell opens to the courtyard of the Venetian Palace. There is a nave in front of the rectangular planned room on the upper floor. Namık Kemal was exiled to Cyprus on April 9, 1873, after the play "Homeland or Silistre" was performed at the Istanbul Gedik Pasha Theater on April 5, 1873. The poet, who was initially locked in the dungeon on the lower floor, was later taken to the upper floor with the permission of the Governor of Cyprus, Veyis Pasha. On June 3, 1876, he was pardoned by Murat V and returned to Istanbul. The restoration and landscaping works of the "Namık Kemal Prison and Museum" were carried out by the Surveying and Restoration Branch of the Department of Antiquities and Museums in 1993 and opened to visit