Endangered Site: Famagusta Walled City, Cyprus
Once located in the midst of high-volume shipping lanes, a forgotten city with multiple European influences could be lost forever without an intervention
- By Helen Starkweather
- Smithsonian magazine, March 2009, Subscribe
"All ships and all wares," a 14th-century German traveler wrote, "must needs come first to Famagusta." The port city on the northeastern coast of Cyprus was once on a bustling shipping lane, carrying merchants from Europe and the Near East and armies of Christian knights and Ottoman Turks. Famagusta rose to prominence between the 12th and 15th centuries, most notably as the city where the Crusader kings of Jerusalem were crowned.
Now ancient Famagusta, tucked into a modern city of 35,000 people, also called Famagusta, is largely forgotten, except, perhaps, as the setting for Shakespeare's Othello. Some 200 buildings—reflecting Byzantine, French Gothic and Italian Renaissance architectural styles—are in a state of disrepair. Weeds and wildflowers press against sandstone walls eroded by rain and earthquakes. Agencies such as UNESCO are unable to send either funds or conservationists due to the economic and social embargo the international community imposed on northern Cyprus after it was forcibly annexed by Turkey in 1974. "The city has always been fought over and so its current condition is simply another page in its turbulent history," says Michael Walsh, associate professor of art history at Famagusta's Eastern Mediterranean University. "It is shrouded in a melancholy that is unbefitting it, awaiting better days reminiscent of those it experienced 600 years ago."
Built in the 10th century on the site of Arsinoe—an ancient city founded by Egyptian ruler Ptolemy II Philadelphus in the 3rd century B.C.—Famagusta was a Mediterranean backwater until Christian Crusaders came to the region. Richard the Lionheart, en route to his third Crusade, captured Cyprus and later sold it to the Knights Templar, who then sold it to French knight Guy de Lusignan in 1192, who was looking for new real estate after he had been deposed as the king of Jerusalem by the Muslim leader Saladin in 1187.
Famagusta flourished during the next three hundred years, its shops bulging with goods as merchants bartered in Greek, Arabic, Italian, French and Hebrew. By the middle of the 14th-century, Famagusta's citizens had built some 365 churches (one for every day of the year, it was said). Two miles of walls, as well as a moat, protected the city. "There are very few medieval walled cities in Europe that compare," says Allan Langdale, an art history professor at the University of California at Santa Cruz who, in 2007, produced a documentary about the city. "Every 20 or 30 paces you come across a new piece of architecture….You get a real sense of a real medieval, moated city."
By the late 15th century, Famagusta had fallen under the control of Venice and its merchant princes, who took over Cyprus to shore up their economic and political interests in the Eastern Mediterranean. The Venetians fortified the city's walls, making them 50 feet thick in some places. "This is a very fair stronghold," a visiting English merchant wrote in 1553, "the strongest and greatest in the land." But it wasn't enough.
In 1570, Ottoman Turks sent cannon balls ripping through the walls in a siege that lasted for nearly a year. Outnumbered and starving, the Venetians surrendered in 1571. The Ottomans took over Cyprus and closed Famagusta to Christians. They built fountains throughout the city to modernize the water supply, and they converted most of the churches to mosques. A minaret was placed above the gothic buttresses of the former Cathedral of St. Nicholas, where Jerusalem's kings had once been coronated. Churches that weren't converted—as well as other buildings damaged by the siege—were left to ruin. By the 19th century only a handful of residents remained, most living in shacks attached to deteriorating churches. In 1878, when the British occupied Cyprus, Scottish photographer John Thomson called Famagusta "a city of the dead."
Cyprus finally gained independence in 1960, only to be invaded by Turkey and forcibly partitioned fourteen years later. Ancient Famagusta moldered, and what remains is fast disappearing. The city walls still bear the pockmarks from Ottoman cannon balls, which litter the grounds below. Those domes, arches and ribbed vaults not already gone are on the verge of collapse. "When the next seismic activity occurs here, the walls may not survive," says Walsh. Church frescos, most notably on the exposed walls of St. George of the Greeks, are in perilous condition, having been washed by rain, disturbed by earthquakes and bleached by the sun. "Nothing is more at risk than the paintings," says Walsh.
As the elements threaten the buildings and fortifications, so does a recent real estate boom. Speculators are putting up housing in and around modern Famagusta to accommodate the city's increasing population. "Who is going to give a second glance at the heritage of the city and environs?" asked Walsh in a recent report for the International Council on Monuments and Sites, a Paris-based organization devoted to the preservation of the world's cultural heritage.
Those who might give Famagusta a second glance are hampered by Cyprus's division into a Turkish-Muslim north and Greek-Orthodox south. The south is recognized internationally and, in 2004, was inducted into the European Union. The north—known alternately as the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus or the "Occupied Territories" of the Republic of Cyprus—is not recognized internationally. Located just north of the dividing line, Famagusta is accessible to visitors only through southern ports. The city has both a Turkish mayor and a Greek mayor-in-absentia, who represents Greek Cypriots who fled in 1974 and have not been permitted to return. Some suggest that efforts to save Famagusta should await Cyprus's reunification, but Walsh believes time is running out.
In April 2008, under the guidance of Europa Nostra, a pan-European federation for cultural heritage, the Greek and Turkish mayors of the city met in Paris. They agreed to put aside their political differences and support efforts to preserve Famagusta. Europa Nostra hopes that their shared interest in conservation will create an opening for international agencies to donate money, without giving rise to legal or political disputes.
"A city of such colossal importance would normally receive millions of dollars of aid annually and could rely on the advice of art and architecture experts from all over the world," says Walsh. "This is what Famagusta needs, and the recent meeting shows that Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots agree fully with this." It might be the only thing they agree upon.
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Comments (15)
I refer to paragraph 7. In 1974, The Greek military junta invaded Cyprus. This was followed by the Turks invading a couple of weeks later. This was when the island was partitioned. I wonder what would have happened to Famagusta if it was under Greek rule?????.
Posted by Carl McVey on September 17,2012 | 05:42 AM
I would like to know if there is a possibility to make a boattrip from Famagusta - that is ... if I come from the Greek part.
I am a Dutch citizen and plan to visit my sister in Paphos.
Sometimes people there make a kind of cruise, but only to Greek islands... how about sailing from there to Turkey?
Please answer to my mailaddress and thanks in advance.
Posted by h.neher on January 15,2012 | 05:55 AM
Hey everyone. I am from famagusta. Famagusta has population of approximately 50 thousands. :) .. Some people (at both sides) tried to solve the problems and declare peace. But unfortunately it is only be solved between greece and turkey i belive. Others are puppets..
For famagusta i can say come visit and see. It will be worth.. You can check from google. . Summers are very hot but i belive better time to visit.
Posted by Peace on January 26,2011 | 10:45 PM
See this article on the recent history of famagusta:
http://frontpagemag.com/2010/07/15/turkeys-human-rights-hypocrisy/
Posted by steven plaut on July 15,2010 | 04:47 AM
Hello My name is Michael.
I have Been to Famagusta... when the borders were opened sometime in the year 2003. And from what i have seen i think this place takes you back 200 years.. such a difference between Nicosia, Larnaca Limassol and Pafos.
I am of Indian nationality and i was one of the lucky ones to be able to step on Turkish cypriot soil. they wanted to Stamp our passports but with the new rule we said no stamping passports since we were allowed to visit without any stamping etc etc. we drove around famagusta ..we saw lots of lonely roads most of them were just aspal roads not tarred. lots of walls desserted fields. broken down houses and some how you get an feeling of something missing here.
we drove down to the north where they have a ancient casel where on the fort of the casel there was a turkish cypriot flag hanging on the flag post.
From what i could see there was very tight security, and also many border guards at every entery and exit point. Our drive ended in the evening and we returned back to Limassol . on the way back you can see there was a turkish flag painted on one of the Mountains facing southern Cyprus.
this is a small island but it is divided in many ways between turkish and greek people. i think Cyprus would do well without divisions between mankind. I wish Cyprus to become united once again and put aside their releigious differnces.
Michael D'couto
Posted by Michael D'couto on February 1,2010 | 12:23 AM
The new website link for the 'Stones of Famagusta' documentary is:
http://www.stonesoffamagusta.com
Allan Langdale
Posted by Allan Langdale on January 15,2010 | 10:36 PM
I see Allan Langdale has posted a comment on this page and mentioned his 2007 documentary "The Stones of Famagusta". I recommend it. Excellent!
Posted by Karen L Davis on August 2,2009 | 11:22 AM
Please note that Famagusta Gate is one of the Gates of the walled capital city, Nicosia. Another historical fact is Famagusta walled city being mainly occupied by the Turkish society living in Cyprus since 1571. The walls had always held priority for maintenance during the Ottoman empire period and later, since 1963 as the only part where the Turks had to shelter themselves and lived a Ghetto life from 1963 until 1974. I do not like to be fanatic but at least in case of cultural heritage please do not write "Occupied Part of Cyprus." It is the area where the Turkish society is living under the protection of Turkish army. Otherwise, it would be another Bosnia. We would be much pleased to have more serious help for restoration projects funded by UNDP or Europanostra.
Netice Yildiz
Posted by Netce Yildiz on July 25,2009 | 11:23 PM
Stage direction: "A seaport in Cyprus..." 47 years ago this spring, a small theatre troupe of British soldiers and civilians staged a production of "Othello" just inside the city walls near the port. We built a rickety stage and hauled stone canon balls to grace the front. Iago used the old stone staircase along the back wall to great effect, while Othello and Desdemona made do with minimal scenery of a set open to the sky. Cast members dressed and made up in rooms set into the massive old walls, which seemed more like caves than actual houses. A noisy generator fueled the sometimes undependable lighting. The Cypriot Red Cross helped sponsor us, and we returned the favor by giving them our profits. I hope there are institutions and people who can help return that grand space to some of its former glory.
Posted by Joyce Walker on May 5,2009 | 10:40 AM
Those interested in Famagusta can also see the documentary film 'The Stones of Famagusta: the Story of a Forgotten City'. See the film's website at
http://www.landofempires.com
It's a 70 minute survey of the city's history and historical architecture.
Posted by Allan Langdale on March 27,2009 | 05:11 PM
Very interesting article. As a Cypriot American (originally from Vatily of the district of Famagusta), the City is kept dear to my Heart. I hope that the government of Turkey puts aside political games and gives authority to the Cypriots to take care of the City's historic sites. Famagusta as well as every other occupied territory needs to return to its legal residents (Cypriots of both Greek and Turkish backgrounds). Also Turkey needs to take steps to protect not only the historic sites of Famagusta, but other UNESCO sites in the occupied part of Cyprus. It is truly a shame to lose a City of so much history and cultural heritage.
Posted by Sophronis Mantoles on March 26,2009 | 11:28 PM
In 2002, I went to Cyprus on a honeymoon with my now ex-husband. We took a boat ride which allowed us to see Famagusta from a distance. There weren't any people on the beach, no cars, but we saw cranes and machinery here and there... but they were just sitting still. Very spooky. We also went to a small zoo that is located near the "Green Line" where we could look across to the occupied part. We saw a UN tank, and beyond that point, it was just desolate and barren as far as the eye could see. I don't know whether those things have changed since 2002; I am just telling about what I saw at the time that I was there. It saddens me that the physical history of Famagusta is just being allowed to deteriorate, and I hope that both sides can reach some sort of agreement to save these sites in Famagusta.
Posted by Janna on March 22,2009 | 12:11 PM
Sounds otherworldly, can't wait to go.No people, spirits of a rich past all around. Kings of Jerusalem, Knights of the Temple; what's not to look forward to.
Posted by Roland on March 19,2009 | 08:59 PM
This article is online-only; it does not appear in the "physical" Smithsonian magazine available on newstands. I hope that people who subscribe to or buy the magazine will have access to the Internet and be curious enough to follow the "Smithsonian.com Issue Extras" marginal note that says "discover more of the world's most endanged sites" (although the five other other sites are not named) and so learn a little something about how exceptional Famagusta is.
Posted by Elizabeth Kimbrel on March 8,2009 | 04:46 PM