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Kyrenia - History

A city of more than three thousand years of Greek history and civilisation. The first Greeks, who arrived on the island from mainland Greece and Asia Minor, immediately started the process of Hellenising Cyprus and its civilisation, by giving it Greek characteristics. Historical evidence links the present population of the island to the very first settlers from the Greek mainland. The Achaeans (a Greek race in ancient Greece) gave their name to the coast east of Kyrenia -the coast of the Achaeans. Remains of people of Achaean origin, their artefacts and bones can be found in the famous Castle of Kyrenia, where a museum was set up just before the Turkish invasion in the summer of 1974.

Lycophronas states that Kepheas, an Achaean from Dyme and Oleno in Achaea, built Kyrenia. Strabo testifies that Dyme was 60 stadia from Araxo and later, in 756 BC, it was amalgamated with the neighbouring city of Oleno and other cities. One of these cities was named Kerynia. Some tombs belonging to this "Kerynia" were found in July 1970. Pausanias mentions that many Myceneans established themselves in this Greek city. It was famous for its temple of Eumenides, which had the miraculous power of sending the impious and murderers mad.

The name Kerynia is very often found in many parts of ancient Greece. A mountain in Peloponnesos is called Kerynia. There is also another mountain in Peloponnesos called Kerynia, where a stag with golden horns used to live and it is known as the "Kerynitis Stag" that was dedicated to Artemis by the nymph Taigete. It was this stag that Hercules hunted for a year before he was able to catch it.

Kerynia was one of the Several Kingdoms of Cyprus. The descendants of their founders ruled these small states. As the descendants of Teucer ruled Salamis, so the direct descendants of Kepheas ruled Kyrenia.

During its long history, Cyprus inevitably was succumbed to its powerful neighbours as they periodically ruled the Eastern Mediterranean.  Yet the local kings still ruled the Island's Kingdoms ensuring that their nationality, language, customs and traditions were preserved. In July 1974, the Turks invaded Kyrenia.  They committed atrocities beyond imagination. They murdered thousands of innocent civilians in cold blood, attacked and raped defenceless women and young girls at gunpoint and destroyed Christian churches and many other Greek monuments.  They forcibly expelled all its Greek inhabitants from their homes and colonised the occupied area with mainland Turks. They systematically embarked in looting the Greek and English properties.  They forcibly transferred, deported and murdered prisoners of war.

The Turkish invaders were euphemistically dubbed by the then Turkish Prime Minister as "peacemakers", whilst the invasion itself was given the name of the 'Attila Plan".

Here is how St. Augustine (who died in 604 A.D) in his book "On the Invasion of the Vandals and the Huns" describes the Hordes of Attila in Middle East, which 13 centuries later could describe the 1974 Turkish Invasion of Cyprus.

"The Barbarians wasted everything with hostile cruelty. They found a province well cultivated and plenteous, the beauty of the whole earth. They carried their destructive arms into every corner of it; they developed it by their devastation, exterminating everything by fire and sword. They tortured their prisoners with exquisite cruelty, to force a discovery of their hidden treasures. The more they discovered the more they expected, and the more implacable they became. They regarded neither the infirmities of age nor of sex, neither the dignity of the noble nor the sanctity of the priest; but the more illustrious their prisoners, the more barbarously they insulted the Cultivated lands they left wastes populous cities with scarcely an inhabitant".

In the seventeenth century A.D. the walls were built all the way around the town in order to defend it and the port against the Arab raids. The interior walls are still visible but the harbour is now open to the sea. To the southeast of the modern harbour lies the old Roman harbour,protected by breakwaters at its north and south ends.

The fairy castle of St. Hilarion, built on a mountain peak 2,200 feet above the sea level, is the most impressive of the three castles on the Kyrenia mountain range. In the past, the site was called Didymus (twin), being one of the twin peaks on the Kyrenia range. The castle was named after the humble hermit Hilarion for whom a church was also built. During the 10th century, the Byzantines built a church and defensive walls on the site.

During the Lusignan reign, it was eventually converted into a fortified castle and was also used as the summerhouse of the Lusignan royal family. The castle of Buffavento (meaning `the definer of the winds'), built in the 11th century AD, forms part of a defence scheme, which includes the St. Hilarion and the Kantara castles. It stands at 3,131 feet above the sea level and is mainly interesting to see the account of its commanding position. The shattered walls still retain their outstanding position, high against the passing clouds.

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