Gazimagusa (Famagusta)

Gazimaguza was founded as a small trading and fishing town in the 13th century. During the following Lusignan period it developed into a major centre for trade between the east and west. A total of 365 important buildings, mostly places of worship and palaces for the aristocracy, were then built, making Gazimagusa the richest town on the Mediterranean. One such building is the Gothic Cathedral of St.Nicholas where the Lusignan kings were crowned. The later Ottoman conquest left the cathedral undamaged, only a minaret was added in its conversion to a mosque which was renamed Lala Mustafa Camii. In 1489 the Venetians conquered Gazimagusa and built a surrounding defence wall to stop further invasions. When the Turks attacked in 1571, their seige of the town took 4 months due to the strength of its defences. The wall still stands, a fine example of military architecture. Old Gazimagusa lies within those walls and to the south is now a new modern town.

Places To See:

Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque, Othello's Castle, Namik Kemal Dungeon, Sinan Pasha Mosque, Canbulat Museum and Tomb, Salamis Ruins, Burial Place of the Kings of Salamis, Kantara Castle, City Walls.