Kyrenia

Kyrenia (Κερύνεια in Greek), (Girne in Turkish) is a town in Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. It is a busy little town with a harbour appreciated for its beauty. In its heyday it was lined with warehouses in which were stored the fruits of the countryside whilst they awaited export. The buildings are now mostly all restaurants, all of which have tables and chairs lining the water. The castle at the east end of the harbour is a very spectacular site and within its walls there is a 12th century chapel showing reused late Roman capitals. The inner courtyard is vast (with a small cafe) and in one of the rooms leading off it is the Shipwreck Museum, exhibiting the remains of a 4th century Grekk ship salvaged not far from Kyrenia together with its cargo. There is much of interest to be seen within these ancient walls.

The town has an icon museum housed in a church which was dedicated to the Archangel Michael, not far from it there are some tombs cut into the rock dating from about the 4th century, there is a ruined small Christian church behind the harbour and in the harbour is a small tower from which a chain could be slung to close the harbour to any enemies.

The town is a good place from which to reach other sites of the north, Soli, Vouni , Antiphonitis, Salamis,Bellapais, Güzelyurt, Kantara , to name some of them.

Northern Cyprus as a whole is very important for providing nesting beaches for the marine turtles of the med. In nearby Alagadi, the Marine Turtle Conservation Project has been working for the past 13 years to help conserve the Green and Loggerhead turtles which nest on the island. The project welcomes visitors to view the turtles nesting at night, and to observe nest excavations when hatchings emerge from the sand. A must see when in the Kyrenia/Girne area.