Paphos Castle: A Medieval Harbour Fortress in Cyprus
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.1
- Popularity
- Medium
- Country
- Cyprus
- Primary era
- Early Modern
- External website
- Open
- Eras represented
- Medieval, Early Modern
- Civilizations
- Crusader, Genoese, Kingdom of Cyprus, Ottoman
- Site type
- Military
- Remains
- Castle
On this page7 sections
History
Paphos Castle is a medieval fortification in Paphos, Cyprus, built under Lusignan rule in the first half of the thirteenth century to control the harbour entrance, protect the city, and resist Genoese attacks. Its foundation is attributed to Henry I de Lusignan, a member of the dynasty that ruled the medieval Kingdom of Cyprus.
Before and during Lusignan rule
The castle replaced the Byzantine fort of Saranda Kolones, about 600 metres to the northeast, and a watchtower that had stood on the site of the present building. An earthquake in 1222 destroyed both earlier structures. The first Lusignan fort consisted of two defensive towers connected by a wall.
During the Cypriot-Genoese War in 1373, the Genoese, a maritime power based in Genoa, besieged and captured the fort after Famagusta fell. They raised the towers and formed a moat by removing part of the breakwater linking the coastal tower with the mainland. Paphos returned to the Kingdom of Cyprus after the peace settlement of 1374. In 1391, King Jacques I de Lusignan ordered the damaged towers to be strengthened and converted into a castle.
Venetian and Ottoman transformations
Under Venetian rule in the late fifteenth century, the fort was reinforced but not greatly enlarged. Venice, a maritime republic competing for control of Cyprus and its ports, concentrated its defensive priorities elsewhere on the island, while Paphos was used mainly to control the coast. An earthquake on 24 and 25 April 1491 destroyed the eastern tower. The damaged tower was abandoned, and the fortress probably declined further as Venetian interest in Paphos remained limited.
In 1570, while preparing for an Ottoman attack, the Venetians destroyed the remaining tower so that the advancing enemy could not use it. The Ottoman Empire conquered Cyprus in 1571 and rebuilt the castle on the ruins of the western tower in 1591 under the orders of Ahmed Pasha. A marble inscription dated 1592 records this rebuilding and strengthening.
During Ottoman rule, parts of the fortress were used as a prison, a mosque, and accommodation for the garrison. Twelve cannons equipped the castle, which was occupied by approximately 50 soldiers.
From British rule to conservation
After Cyprus became a British colony in 1878, Paphos Castle lost its defensive role and served as a salt store until 1935. It was placed under monument protection that year and became part of the Paphos Archaeological Park UNESCO World Heritage property in 1980. UNESCO World Heritage status is an international designation for cultural or natural properties recognized as having outstanding universal value.
The 1953 earthquake caused major cracks in the walls, which were restored by 1956. A breakwater built southwest of the castle in 1968 and 1969 helped protect its foundations from environmental effects. Bombing during the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus damaged the fortress and prompted more intensive restoration. Archaeological excavations have since examined the castle’s history. The building is now used as a museum and cultural centre and provides the setting for an annual open-air Paphos cultural festival held in September.
Remains
The surviving castle
The present castle is a compact rectangular limestone structure, approximately 33 metres long and 17 metres wide. It now consists essentially of the single central tower, the surviving western tower of the earlier fort. The tower rises about 21 metres and has two storeys. Its flat roof platform is enclosed by a parapet wall about two metres high, with loopholes interrupting the parapet.
An enclosed courtyard formerly surrounded the tower, while a moat runs around the building and can fill with water during winter. The only entrance is on the eastern side, reached by a stone bridge. Small windows punctuate the walls, and a white marble plaque dated 1592 is set above the entrance.
On the ground floor, a hall with stone vaults is flanked by rooms that served as prison cells during the Ottoman period. The central room on the upper floor was used as a mosque by the Ottoman garrison.
Waterfront remains
Fragments of the medieval eastern tower remain visible in the water about 50 metres east of the surviving castle. A second fortification beside the present building, probably constructed at the same time as the castle, survives in ruins. The breakwater southwest of the castle is associated with the protection of its foundations, while its earlier configuration was altered by the Genoese when they created the moat.
