©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd Famagusta (Gazimağusa) & the Karpas Peninsula Includes ¨ Why Go? Famagusta The thin finger of the Karpas Peninsula (Karpasia in Greek; (Gazimağusa) ........... 207 Karpaz in Turkish) is all rolling meadows, craggy cliffs and Ancient Salamis ......... 217 wild beaches with a handful of snoozy villages thrown in. Karpas Peninsula ....... 221 It’s a taste of old-style Cyprus that can’t be beaten. Despite Yenierenköy new roads and development, its agrarian soul still feels un- (Yiallousa) ................. 223 touched by modern life. Sipahi (Agia Triada).... 223 When you’ve recharged your batteries with the Karpas’ serene wilderness, turn back west to visit Ancient Salamis. Dipkarpaz This enigmatic window into the Hellenic world is the is- (Rizokarpaso) ............224 land’s most impressive archaeological site. Agios Filon Just to the south is the fortified city of Famagusta where & Afendrika ............... 224 you can climb the ramparts to walk the city walls. The city’s faded long-lost grandeur can be found in lanes filled with gently dilapidated houses that sit beside crumbling ruins of once-majestic churches. Best Places Brimming with history and full of mesmerising natural to Eat beauty, this is by far the island’s most rewarding region to ¨ Othello’s Meyhanesi (p215) explore. ¨ Alevkayalı Restaurant (p223) When to Go ¨ Kiyi (p220) ¨ Wild orchids and flowers bloom on the Karpas Peninsula ¨ Oasis Restaurant (p224) and bird life can be spotted from March to May. ¨ Aspava Restaurant (p215) ¨ The International Famagusta Art & Culture Festival in July features performances amid the ruins of Salamis. ¨ Green and loggerhead turtles nest and hatch eggs on Best Reminders Karpas’ wild beaches in August and September. of Old Cyprus ¨ Ancient Salamis (p217) ¨ Petek Confectioner (p214) ¨ Kantara Castle (p222) ¨ Monastery of Apostolos Andreas (p222) 207 FAMAGUSTA who criticised what they felt were the loose morals of its citizens. To counteract this, a (GAZIMAĞUSA) great number of churches were quickly built. POP 40,920 The great city’s first decline began when The walled city of Famagusta (Gazimağusa) the Genoese took control in the 14th cen- was made for exploration. Winding lanes tury, prompting an exodus of its wealthiest rimmed with terrace rows of houses sudden- and most illustrious citizens. ly give way to ruined Gothic churches where Although the town was recaptured by the birds nest between roofless arches and scraps Venetians 117 years later, its former fortune of faded frescos cling to stone walls. From and decadence never really returned. Dur- atop the Venetian walls, the shattered shards ing this time the huge walls and bastions of these once-grand churches punctuate the were constructed, but this belated measure skyline of what was Cyprus’ most lavish city. did little to prevent its capture by the Otto- Long since slumped into down-at-heel mans in 1571. In the bloody 10-month siege dilapidation, the area within the walls is en- that ensued, an estimated 100,000 cannon- dearingly shambolic. For years tourist infra- balls were fired. structure remained poor and most travellers Under the Ottomans, Famagusta rotted only visited on day trips. Recently over €3 like a bad tooth. Its ruined buildings were ( ( ( Famagusta million in funding to preserve the walls and never repaired, leaving it in an almost Goth- monuments has flooded in under the aus- ic time warp. The Old Town, Kaleici, became pices of the Technical Committee on Cultur- a Turkish Cypriot stronghold. al Heritage, the EU and the United Nations The region flourished again in the early Development Programme. This spruce up g 1960s. The renowned, predominantly Greek g g azimağusa) & the Karpas Karpas the & azimağusa) has led to the opening of a clutch of guest- Karpas the & azimağusa) Cypriot resort district of Varosia (Maraş), Karpas the & azimağusa) houses, finally allowing travellers a chance just outside the southern side of the Old to sleep within the walled city itself. Town’s walls, bloomed as the Mediterra- nean’s new favourite holiday destination, History annually pulling thousands of sun-seeking Famagusta and its surroundings have an af- tourists to its stunning beaches. However, fluent and complex history. The wide sweep communal conflicts in 1964 saw more skir- of Famagusta Bay and the sprawling Me- mishes in the area, resulting in the Turks es- saoria plain was home to three major settle- sentially barricading themselves within the ments over the ages: the Bronze Age city of Old Town’s walls and exiling any Greeks left Ancient Enkomi (Alasia), which existed dur- to the confines of Varosia. p ing the 17th century BC; the Mycenaean set- The island’s invasion by the Turkish army p eninsula eninsula tlement and tombs from the 9th century BC, in 1974 forced Famagusta, and more par- eninsula p described as a flourishing culture in Homer’s ticularly Varosia, into the restricted border eninsula Iliad; and the illustrious kingdom of Salamis, zone. Deserted by its Greek population in which prospered through the 6th century BC. anticipation of the fast-approaching Turk- F Founded by Ptolemy Philadelphus of ish military, Varosia remains part of the F A A m Egypt in the 3rd century BC, Famagusta large, uninhabited buffer zone and is now a m ag ag was originally known by its Greek name, ghost town. Haunting, with its gaping dark SIGHT u Ammochostos, meaning ‘buried in the sand’. windows and abandoned tower blocks, and u sta For many years it was considered the brides- barricaded by oil drums and barbed wire, it sta S (G maid to the famous city kingdom of Salamis, is as it was in 1974, save for a few military (G A just to its north. outposts and occasional UN patrols. A zim After Salamis was abandoned in AD 648, zim A Famagusta’s population greatly increased, 1 A Sights ğu but the city didn’t truly bloom until the fall The eclectic mix of arched lanes, chapel ru- ğu sa of Acre in 1291. ins, Turkish baths, Byzantine and Knights sa ) At this point, Christians fleeing the Holy Templar churches, and medieval quarters ) Land took refuge in the city. In the late 13th are best appreciated on foot. Allow the bet- century it became the region’s main shipping ter part of a day to see the city properly. stopover, gaining immense wealth almost overnight. A lavish and decadent lifestyle oLala Mustafa Paşa Camii MOSQUE bloomed and more jewels and gold were said (St Nicholas Cathedral; Erenler Sokak; houtside to be in Famagusta than in all of Europe’s roy- prayer times) The former Cathedral of Agios al courts. This provoked scorn from the pious, Nikolaos (St Nicholas) is the finest example of .