Castles of North Cyprus: Kyrenia, Saint Hilarion, Buffavento and Kantara

Kyrenia Castle and the Shipwreck Museum

Kyrenia Castle (Girne Kalesi) guards the harbour entrance in the town centre. Three sources date the first fortification to the Byzantine period, probably the 7th century, as a defence against Arab sea raids. Richard I took the castle in 1191; John of Ibelin enlarged it between 1208 and 1211, and it was nearly destroyed in the Genoese attack of 1373. Under Venice (from 1489) it was strengthened with thick walls and gun embrasures; Wikipedia dates the enlargement to 1540, while other sources give different years. It surrendered to the Ottomans in 1570 (Wikipedia) or 1571 (Visit NCY). Under the British it served as a police barracks and a prison, including for EOKA members, and has been open to the public since 1960 (Wikipedia).

Inside you will find a cistern, a dungeon, a chapel (possibly 11th-12th century) and two small museums, reached from the north-west gate across the moat. The Shipwreck Museum holds the hull of a Greek merchant ship from about 300 BC, with a cargo of amphorae, millstones and almonds. Sources disagree on when it was found (1965 or 1967), so we give both.

The three mountain forts of the Kyrenia Range

Together the three castles form a signalling and defence line along the north coast. Visitors usually drive to the car park below Saint Hilarion; Buffavento and Kantara need walking. Do not climb walls or leave marked paths.

Legend and documented history

Two stories are told at these castles and neither is documented history. One says that Saint Hilarion inspired Disney's fairy-tale castle: Visit NCY says "reputedly", and the Daily Mail (2015) called it almost certainly false. The other says that Queen Regina's treasure lies in a room at Buffavento that appears for a few hours a year; this comes from a single local article. The name of Saint Hilarion itself refers to a hermit from the Holy Land in the traditional account.

Visiting Saint Hilarion Castle

Visit North Cyprus places Saint Hilarion in the Kyrenia mountain range, overlooking the Mediterranean, and says it commands the pass road from Kyrenia to Nicosia. The travel wiki Wikivoyage (Kyrenia entry, updated May 2023) names Karaman as the village and puts the castle about 10 km south of Kyrenia. The site is managed by the TRNC Department of Antiquities and Museums (Eski Eserler ve Müzeler Dairesi), whose own page for the castle describes it as lying on the road towards Nicosia.

• By road: Wikivoyage describes access by a lane off the highway to Nicosia, with a car park from which a steep, rugged footpath leads up to the lower ward. It warns that the surrounding land is a military area and that visitors should not stray from the lane.
• Public transport: Wikivoyage says minibuses do not reach outlying sights such as Saint Hilarion, and Visit North Cyprus says dolmuş minibuses stay on main roads. Neither source lists a bus route to the castle.
• Tours and transfers: Visit North Cyprus says tour operators offer transfers and door-to-door services to visitors booked through them. Its Kyrenia day itinerary lists Saint Hilarion alongside Bellapais Abbey and Kyrenia Castle.

Visit North Cyprus says the castle stands on three levels, each designed to be self-sufficient: the lower ward for soldiers and horses, the middle ward with the royal palace, kitchen, church and a large cistern, and the upper ward for the royal family, entered through a Lusignan Gate. It reports steps all the way to the top, with handrails, and a summit of 732 metres above sea level. The Department of Antiquities and Museums calls the stairs to the highest point somewhat steep, with a handrail to hold. Visit North Cyprus advises flat, stout shoes.

Visit North Cyprus describes the Queen's Window, a Gothic window on the second floor of the royal apartments, as giving a view over the northern coast and the Lapithos plains, and adds that on a clear day Turkey can be seen. For the heat, it advises bringing plenty of drinks in the hotter months and says that starting the climb early in the morning means being back down before the blistering heat; it also mentions a café at the entrance. The castle is said to have inspired Disney's Sleeping Beauty, according to Visit North Cyprus ("reputedly") and the Department's page. The other two ruined forts, Buffavento and Kantara, are covered above.