Kyrenia Castle

Kyrenia Castle
(Greek: Κάστρο της Κερύνειας, Turkish: Girne Kalesi)
Kyrenia Castle
Location within Cyprus
General information
Architectural style	Medieval
Town or city	Kyrenia
Country	De jure  Cyprus De facto  Northern Cyprus
Coordinates	35°20′29″N 33°19′20″E / 35.341389°N 33.322222°E / 35.341389; 33.322222
Construction started	16th-century

Kyrenia Castle (Greek: Κάστρο της Κερύνειας Turkish: Girne Kalesi), at the east end of the old harbour in Kyrenia is a 16th-century castle built by the Venetians over a previous Crusader fortification. Within its walls lies a twelfth-century chapel showing reused late Roman capitals, and the Shipwreck Museum.

Kyrenia has existed since the 10th century BC. Excavations have revealed Greek traces that date back to the 7th century BC, but the site was developed into a city under Roman rule.

Research carried out at the site suggests that the Byzantines built the original castle in the 7th Century to guard the city against the new Arab maritime threat. The first historical reference to the castle occurs in 1191, when King Richard the Lionheart of England captured it on his way to the Third Crusade. He did so by defeating Isaac Comnenus, an upstart local governor who had proclaimed himself emperor.

After a short period, Richard sold the island to the Knights Templar, and then to his cousin Guy de Lusignan, the former king of Jerusalem. This began the 300 years of the Frankish Lusignan Kingdom of Cyprus (1192–1489). Initially the castle was quite small. John d'Ibelin enlarged it between 1208 and 1211. The Castle's main function was military and the improvements consisted of a new entrance, square and horseshoe-shaped towers, embrasures for archers, and dungeons.