Kyrenia (
Greek:
Κερύνεια,
Turkish:
Girne) is a town on the northern coast of Cyprus, noted for its historic harbour and castle. Internationally recognised as part of the
Republic of Cyprus, Kyrenia has been under Turkish occupation since the
Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974, under control of the self-proclaimed
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Once predominantly inhabited by
Greek Cypriots, Kyrenia's population consists now largely of
Turkish Cypriots and settlers from
Turkey.
Prehistoric and ancient times
Kyrenia dates to the end of the
Trojan War when many settlers arrived there from
Achaea in the
Peloponnese and established towns in the district. Evidence from archeological sites excavated in and around the town of Kyrenia evidence settlement since the
Neolithic period,
5800-
3000 BC. Moreover, many
Mycenaean, Geometric and Achaean tombs dating from
1300-
500s BC, have also been discovered. A fine climate, fertile soil and an abundance of water offered ideal conditions for the town's early settlement.
Cepheus from
Arcadia is believed to be the founder of the town of Kyrenia. A military leader, he arrived at the north coast of the island bringing with him many settlers from various towns in Achaea. One such town, located near present-day
Aigio in the
Peloponnese, was also called Kyrenia. East of Kyrenia lays the «Coast of Achaeans». It was at Kyrenia, according to
Strabo l (14.682.3),that
Teucer came first ashore, to found the ancient Kingdom of
Salamis after the Trojan war.
The earliest reference made to the town of Kyrenia is found, together with that of the other seven city kingdoms of Cyprus, in
Egyptian scripts dating from the period of
Ramesses III,
1125-
1100s BC.
From its early days of settlement, Kyrenia's commerce and maritime trade benefited enormously from its proximity to the
Asia Minor coast. Boats set sail from the
Aegean islands, traveled along the Asia Minor coast, and then crossed over the short distance to the northern shores of Cyprus to reach the two city kingdoms of
Lapithos and Kyrenia. This lively maritime activity (late 4th or early
3rd century BC) is evident in an ancient shipwreck discovered by Andreas Kariolou in 1965, just outside Kyrenia harbour. The vessel's route along
Samos,
Kos,
Rhodes, the Asia Minor coastline and then Kyrenia, demonstrates the town's close maritime relations with other city kingdoms in the eastern
Mediterranean.
During the succession struggle between
Ptolemy and
Antigonus that followed
Alexander the Great's death in
323 BC, Kyrenia was subdued under the rule of the kingdom of Lapithos that allied itself with the
Antigonid dynasty.
Diodorus Siculus(19.79) observes that in 312 B.C. Ptolemy arrested
Praxipos the king of Lapithos and the king of Kyrenia. Once the
Ptolemies were successful in dominating the whole island, all city kingdoms were abolished. Kyrenia however, because of its maritime trade, continued to prosper. In the
2nd century BC, it is cited as one of six Cypriot towns which were benefactors to the Oracle at
Delphi, that is, it received its special representatives who collected contributions and gifts. The town's prosperity at this time is also evident from its two temples, one dedicated to
Apollo and the other to
Aphrodite, and from the rich archeological finds dating from the
Hellenistic period excavated within the present-day town limits.
The Romans succeeded the Ptolemies as rulers of Cyprus and during this time Lapithos became the administrative centre of the district. The numerous tombs excavated and the rich archeological finds dating from this period indicate however, that Kyrenia continued to be a populous and prosperous town. An inscription found at the base of a limestone statue dating from 13-37 AD, refers to ‘Kyrenians Demos' that is, the town's inhabitants. Here as everywhere else, the Romans left their mark by constructing a castle with a seawall in front of it so that boats and ships could anchor in safety.
Christianity found fertile ground in the area. The first Christian martyrs used the old quarries of Chrysokava, just east of Kyrenia castle, as
catacombs and cut-rock cemeteries which are considered among the island's most important specimens of this period. Later, some of these caves were converted into churches and feature beautiful iconography, the most representative of which is that found at ‘Ayia Mavri.' From these early days, the town of Kyrenia was an episcopal see. One of its first bishops, Theodotus, was arrested and tortured between 307-324, under the reign of Licinius. Though the persecution of Christians officially ended in 313, when
Constantine I and his co-emperor,
Licinius, issued the
Edict of Milan which mandated toleration of Christians in the
Roman Empire and freedom of worship, Theodotus martyrdom and persecution only ended in 324 and it is this event that the Church annually commemorates on March 2.
Middle ages
With the division of the Roman Empire into an
eastern and a
western empire, in 395 Cyprus came under the Byzantine emperors and the
Greek Orthodox Church. The
Byzantine emperors fortified Kyrenia's Roman castle and in the 10th century, they constructed in its vicinity a church dedicated to
Saint George, which the garrison used as a chapel. Then, when in 806, Lambousa was destroyed in the Arab raids, Kyrenia grew in importance because its castle and garrison offered its inhabitants protection and security.
Isaac Komnenos of Cyprus, the island's last Byzantine governor, sent his family and treasures to the castle for safety in 1191 when King
Richard I of England went to war with him and became the island's new master.
Richard's rule was not welcomed in Cyprus so he sold the island first to the
Knights Templar, and then in 1192, to
Guy of Lusignan. Under
Frankish rule, the villages of the district of Kyrenia became feudal estates and the town became once again the administrative and commercial centre for its region. The Lusignans enlarged the castle, built a wall and towers around the town, and extended the fortifications to the harbour. They also fortified the Byzantine castles of Saint Hilarion, Bouffavento and Kantara, which, together with Kyrenia Castle, protected the town from land and sea attacks. Kyrenia castle played a pivotal role in the island's history during the many disputes among the Frankish kings, as well as the conflicts with the
Genoese. On numerous occasions the castle came under siege, but it never capitulated.
In 1489, Cyprus came under
Venetian rule. The Venetians modified
Kyrenia Castle to meet the threat that the use of gunpowder and cannons posed. The castle's royal quarters and three of its four thin and elegant Frankish towers were demolished and replaced by thickset circular towers that could better withstand cannon fire. These new towers, however, were never put to the test. In 1571, the castle and the town surrendered to the
Ottoman army.
Ottoman rule
Under
Ottoman rule, Kyrenia district was at first one of four, then one of six, administrative districts of the island and the town remained its administrative capital. The town's fortunes declined however as it was transformed into a garrison town. The Christian population was expelled from the fortified city, and no one was allowed to reside within the castle other than the artillerymen and their families. These men terrorized the town's inhabitants and those of the surrounding villages, Christian and Muslim alike, with their arbitrary looting and crimes. The few local inhabitants who dared to stay were merchants and fishermen whose livelihood depended on the sea. They built their homes outside the city wall, which through time, neglect and disrepair, turned to ruin. The rest of the inhabitants moved further out to the area known as Pano Kyrenia or the ‘Riatiko' (so called because it once belonged to a king) or fled further inland and to the mountain villages of
Thermeia,
Karakoumi,
Kazafani,
Bellapais and Karmi.
The town revived again when bribes and gifts paid to local Turkish officials caused them to permit local maritime trade with Asia Minor and the Aegean islands to resume. In 1783, the church of Chrysopolitissa was renovated. Then in 1856, following the Hatt-I-Humayum, which introduced social and political reform and greater religious freedom for the various peoples of the Ottoman Empire, the church of Archangel Michael was rebuilt on a rocky mount overlooking the sea. At about this time, many of the Christian inhabitants of the surrounding villages re-established themselves in the town. Local agriculture and maritime trade, particularly the export of carobs to Asia Minor, allowed the people of Kyrenia to have a comfortable living, and some even to educate their children and pursue other cultural activities.
British rule
In 1878, following a secret agreement between the
British and Ottoman governments, the island was ceded to Great Britain as a military base in the eastern Mediterranean. At first, Great Britain did not undertake major administrative changes, so Kyrenia remained the district's capital. A road was constructed through the mountain pass to connect the town to the island's capital,
Nicosia, and the harbour was repaired and expanded to accommodate increasing trade with the opposite coast. The town's municipal affairs were put in order and the municipal council took an active role in cleaning and modernizing the town. In 1893, a hospital was built through private contributions and effort. By the first decade of the twentieth century, Kyrenia was a buzzing little town with a new school building, its own newspaper, social, educational and athletic clubs. It was also a favoured vacation spot for many wealthy Nicosia families. Many homes were converted into pensions and boardinghouses and in 1906, the first hotel, "Akteon", was built by the sea. These first decades of British rule however, also saw increased economic hardship for the population. However, high taxation, frequent droughts and a world economic depression were precipitating factors for a mass exodus of people from the town and district, first to
Egypt and then to the
United States.
In 1922, the episcopal see of Kyrenia relocated back to the town after the completion of a new metropolitan building. That same year, the
Greco-Turkish war brought to a halt all trade with the opposite coast causing a serious economic depression. To the rescue came Costas Catsellis, a young repatriate from the USA who built the town's first modern hotels, the ‘Seaview Hotel' in 1922 and the ‘Dome Hotel' in 1932, having a foreign tourist clientele in mind. Kyrenia's mild climate, picturesque harbour, numerous archeological sites, panoramic views that combined sea, mountains and vegetation, coupled with modern amenities, soon attracted many travellers and Kyrenia's economy revived through tourism. After the Second World War, more hotels were built and the town remained a favoured vacation spot for Nicosia residents and foreign travellers alike. To the town's Greek and Turkish inhabitants were added many from
Great Britain who chose Kyrenia as their permanent place of residence.
Cyprus independence
In 1960, Cyprus gained its independence from Great Britain. However, the intercommunal conflict that broke out in 1963-64 between the island's Greek and Turkish population again eroded Kyrenia's prosperity. While skirmishes in Kyrenia were minimal, Turkish Cypriot irregulars blockaded the Kyrenia-Nicosia road and occupied Saint Hilarion castle. Despite these difficulties, the 1960s and early 1970s was a period of lively cultural and economic activity. A new town hall was built and a Folklore Museum established. The ancient shipwreck
[1] already alluded to was reassembled, together with all its amphorae and cargo, and permanently exhibited at the castle. The number of new hotels and tourists multiplied and a new road was constructed in the early 1970s connecting the town to Nicosia from the east. The town's cultural activities greatly increased. Other than the many traditional cultural and religious fairs and festivals annually celebrated, flower shows, yachting races, concerts and theatre performances were organized. Kyrenia, the smallest of Cypriot towns, was undoubtedly the island's most precious jewel.
The town's inhabitants, Greek, Turk,
Maronite,
Armenian, Latin and British peacefully coexisted and cooperated in their daily affairs and the town had grown beyond its two historic neighbourhoods of Kato (Lower) Kyrenia and Pano (Upper) Kyrenia. It expanded towards the mountain slopes to form the new neighbourhood of "California", and eastward it had just about reached the outskirts of Thermia, Karakoumi and Ayios Georgios.
In 1974, there were 47 villages in the district of Kyrenia. Greeks and Maronite Cypriots formed 83% of the district's total population, while the Turkish Cypriots formed 15% of the total.
Turkish invasion
On 20 July 1974,
Turkish forces conducted
Operation Attila, the Turkish takeover of north Cyprus, in response to a coup . Greek Cypriots abandoned their homes in Kyrenia and elsewhere in north Cyprus and headed to the south of what is now the
Green Line. (At the same time Turkish Cypriots abandoned their homes in
Southern Cyprus and headed north of the Green Line.)
The community of Kyrenia's exiled Greek Cypriots has not disappeared. Through the collective efforts of the community and its Municipality and Folklore Society, the exiles continue their work from Nicosia. Through special voters' registration and procedures, the people of Kyrenia continue to exercise their separate political and civic rights. The Bishop of Kyrenia continues to oversee to the religious affairs of the community. The community celebrates all traditional holidays, religious and cultural. Through their work, their clubs and societies, the exiles continue to work for their eventual return to their homes.
[citation needed]
Harbour
In its heyday Kyrenia harbour was lined with warehouses in which were stored the fruits of the countryside whilst they awaited export. The harbour is currently used largely for pleasure craft, and the buildings are now mostly all restaurants, with outdoor tables along the water. The harbour is particularly busy during the summer season when it attracts a large influx of tourists. Daily boat tours of Kyrenia and Karpasia take off from this ancient harbour. A larger harbour is located a few miles east of the town centre, used by commercial shipping and ferries from the Turkish mainland.
The town has an icon museum housed in a church that was dedicated to the
Archangel Michael. Not far from it there are some tombs cut into the rock dating from about the 4th century. Behind the harbour are the ruins of a small Christian church, and in the harbour is a small tower from which a chain could be slung to close the harbour to any enemies. The Anglican Church of St. Andrews is behind the castle, close to the bus station, and is open all year round.
