Richard the Lion Heart first referred to Kyrenia castle in 1191 when he conquered Cyprus on his way to the crusades
The first recorded reference to the castle was in 1191 when Richard the Lion Heart conquered Cyprus on his way to the crusades.
The castles moat which was used for protection against attack from the landward side, was once filled with water and used as an inner harbor that serviced the castle until 14th century.
Kyrenia has led a varied and colorful life, changing owners and coming under attack several times during her long and illustrious history. The Venetians first lay siege to the castle in 1373 in which she suffered heavy damage. In 1491, they captured and occupied Kyrenia and began structural improvements of the castle in accordance with their own defensive plans at the time.
Kyrenia castle remained in Venetian hands for the next seventy odd years until 1570 when it was surrendered to the Ottomans without resistance. The Ottomans brought a stability to the castle which lasted three centuries until the 1800’s when British Colonialism took over the island. During this time Kyrenia castle was used as a prison and police school and from 1963 to 1967 it was used as a military headquarters by the Greek National Guard. Kyrenia castle also contains a 16th century tomb belonging to the Algerian Turkish Admiral Sadik Pasha who took over Kyrenia in 1570 as well as The Church of St. George, which dates from the Early Byzantine period. The church was original built outside the castle walls but when the Venetians began their re-fortification of the castle they extended the wall to encompass the church, protecting it from attack.
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The original castle was thought to have been built around the 7th century by the Byzantines as a defense against the invading Arabs and the Lusignan Kings used the castle as a place of refuge and shelter during times of conflict and peace. A large portion of the present site was built by King John D’Ibelin between 1208 and 1211.
