ENKOMI (Alasia)

The antique city of Enkomi, also known as Alasia, situated close to the present day Enkomi (Tuzla) village, dates back to the 2000s B. C.. The excavations have revealed that the city was under the influence of Egypt first, and Mycenae later, and that it was surrounded with walls, and the dead were buried under the floors of the houses with their death presents. It is observed that the grate plan was applied to the city and that writing was first used here. The bronze "Horned God Statue" which seems to be under strong Hittite influnce, and considered to be a cult statue was found in this district. A lot of things made of bronze and residues of copper indicating the existence of copper workshops have also been uncovered. Enkomi used to be a harbour town. The region was abandoned never to be used again, when the Pedios River (Kanlidere) flowing by the city filled the harbour with alluvion, the earthquakes affected the place negatively and the Akas started posing a continuous threat after the 12th century.

LALA MUSTAFA PASA MOSQUE

The building which was constructed between the years 1298-1312 in the Lusignan period is one of the most beautiful Gothic structures of the Meditteranean region. The Lusignan kings would be inaugurated as the King of Cyprus at the St. Sophia Cathedral in Nicosia first, and following this they would be crowned as the King of Jerusalem at the St. Nicholas Cathedral in Famagusta. These ceremonies continued to be held until 1571 when the cathedral was turned into a mosque by the Ottoman Turks. The architecture of the western front of the building has been influenced by the architecture of the Reims Cathedral. It has an unparalleled window with Gothic style tracery. The

16th century Venetian gallery in the courtyard is today used as a reservoir for ablutions. A Venetian insignia can be seen above the circular windows at the entrance. The relief ornamented with animal figures is thought to have been brought from a temple in Salamis. The apsis of the cathedral is in the Eastern style and is composed of three parts as in most Cyprus churches. The windows in the top part have been well preserved. There are two chapels at the side. The cumbez tree in front -a tropical fig tree- is a rare tree in the north of the island.

LATIN St. GEORGE CHURCH

Constructed in the late 13th century, the church is one of the beautiful examples of the Gothic style of architecture. Material from the Salamis ruins was used in its construction. It is thought to have been modelled on the St. Chapelle church in Paris. It has a nave with five sections and a chancel. What has survived throughout the years is this chancel and the northern wall. The wide, tall windows once had Gothic traceries. That the church had been constructed before the city-walls is evident from the rampart like structure of the building.

NITOVIKLA CASTLE

The castle the remains of which are on a hill close to the sea is thought to have been constructed for the purpose of defending the region against raids from the sea in the Middle Bronze Age. The war beetween Hittite and Egypt in this period had affected Cyprus as well. The architecture of the castle resembles the styles of those constructed by the Hittites in Anatolia. It is four sided and the entrance and the walls have been fortified with towers. Big ashlars have been used in its construction. It has a courtyard in the middle.

OTHELLO'S TOWER

This citadel was built in the 12nd century during the Lusignan period, to protect the harbour.The Sea Gate on, in this side, along with the Land Gate were the two major entrances of walled Famagusta. The citadel was originally surrounded with a moat. In 1492 Venetians transformed it into an artillery stronghold making alterations similar to those at Kyrenia castle. The marble panel above the entrance shows the winged lion of Venice, and includes the name of Nicolo Foscarini who remodelled the tower. It is thought

that when Leonardo da Vinci visited Cyprus in 1481 he advised the Venetians on the design of the defences of Famagusta. The tower of citadel consists of towers and corridors leading to artillery chambers. On one side its large courtyard is the refectory and above it apartment, both dating back to the Lusignan period. The present day name of the tower came into use during the British colonial period. In his famous tragedy, where the setting is a" seaport in Cyprus" Shakespeare makes Othello a Moor. He must have heard of the Venetian governor of the

island, Christophoro Moor whose surname means "moor". In the courtyard of the citadel there are some Ottoman and Spanish cannons and their iron balls. The stone balls were for catapults. The surviving walls and bastions of Famagusta are from the Venetian period. On the land side the city was protected by the squat Martinengo Bastion. This was named after the Venetian commander Count Heracles Martinengo. In the Ravelin, which protected the Land Gate, in addition to artillery chambers a chapel is encountered. The large round tower, which was originally a Venetian arsenal on the sea side is named after Dyamboulat, the Turkish commander by whose bravery the Bastion was captured.