Salamis - Famagusta

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Famagusta - City Guide


The histories of Cyprus cities go back to ancient periods. There are cities surviving with sometimes experiencing bright days and sometimes losing their value as well as cities collapsed, burned and only a trace is left behind like Salamis, Curium, Lapithos, Amathus.  

It is said that Magusa is founded by one of Ptolemus kings Philadelphus in 3rd century BC and that he had given the new city his sister’s name Arsinoe. The city Salamis, getting bigger with the people migrating from there in 648 BC because of the Arabs burning and collapsing has become a small seaboard city. It is known that, the city’s name has been changed as “Ammohostos” meaning hidden under sand in the period with the hope that Arabs not to be found.

In the period of Luzinyans (1192-1489) Magusa has become the second city after Nicosia on the island and has been known as “Famagusta” in Frenk language. After Akka, the last place that Western Christianity has hold the fort in the Middle East, becoming possessed by the Muslims in 1291, many Frenk nobleman and businessman were allowed to come to Cyprus and these people, by settling in Magusa, has made it a busy seaport and a business centre. Many valuable commercial goods brought to Syria shores from eastern countries were sent to Europe through Magusa, so the city has played a big role as a transit centre, a warehouse between east and west. There businessmen, all foreign, but including eastern Christians such as Syriac, Nasturi, Armenian etc, were sending Cypriot goods to Europe or Islamic countries. Exported Cypriot goods included variety of products such as silk, barley, salt, mineral wool and “ambelebulya” pickle. This lively business activity was to conclude with Magusa merchants and ship owners making a large fortune, living in a magnificent life in luxury by making them marvel. Old sources say that, these merchants have established a custom to build a church with the profit they gain at once and because of this in less time 365 churches have been built in the city.

The churches existing in the city in many different designs have been built by these merchants. Since richness of people was measured by teh churches they built, Surici became “The Church Neighbourhood”. This richness had affected the places they lived in. In Luzinyan period, the residential area, by giving way to rich people’s social lives, developed by taking Luzinyan Palace, Cathedral, square and harbour as focus. The years between 1291-1300 are the gold years of Magusa.
Churches have brought, the city of monasteries Magusa, a life that big advantages, luxury devotion and code of ethics haven’t been taken notice of and some religious Europeans that have visited the holy land (Palestine) thought this was a strange condition, moreover every single time it was predicted that the city was going to be cursed by a Swedish saint and would be destroyed in no time. The prediction of this woman named as St. Bridget would come true soon; of course with political and economical reasons. In the war between Venice and Ceneviz that ended with Ceneviz advantage in 1372, it was agreed that this area was to be ruled by Ceneviz rules until 1469. Starting from that time until the period of Venice, Magusa was the capital city. In the Ceneviz period, the city was used as a military region and this was an end for the city’s active business and cosmopolite trading class.

In the same years, Western Europe finding a sea route to get into direct relation with east was to push Cyprus aside on this occasion. Consequently, the city holding Luzinyan identity with the cathedral churches built on small-big areas and the streets opening to these areas, has stopped its development and time, and has fallen into silence.

Until 1489, Luzinyans have dominated the city once again. In the meantime, Venetians that have taken the advantage of the murder of the last Luzinyan King of Cyprus James II and Queen Catherina being Venetian, have dominated the island. Upon the last Luzinyan Queen Cornaro leaving the island to Venice administration in February 16th 1489 with a ceremony in St. Nicholas Cathedral, Venice domination in Cyprus starts. In Venice period (1489-1571) the richness of the island regressing effects Magusa, too. As a result of Venetians seeing Cyprus as a military base and neglecting the island, the island will lose its value.

Magusa has been built depending on the day’s conditions, with its walls and drains, keeps, Sea Gate and Land Gate has turned into a protected seaboard city and a military base identity. The developments in this period majored on the centre constituted of St. Nicholas Cathedral, square and the Palace of Venice. The Italians have tried so long to turn Magusa into a small Venice and have brought many features of Venice in Italy, here. The most important of these is the Lion with Wings. Saint Marcos has taken the place of Saint Theodoros who is the protector saint of Venice and his mark The Lion with Wing has then become the symbol of Venice Republic. The Lion with Wings of Venice takes place on Sea Gate and Othello Castle. At the same time, the sculptures of Saint Theodoros and the Lion with Wings are statued on two pillars on Saint Marco square of Venice standing on a corner of Magusa square with only their colons remaining. Even there are sources which say that the Venetians were going to merge the drains with the sea and were going to form a full Venice.

In Venice period, the economic body of the island goes back. The stopping of business and the island being pirate’s bank effects Magusa negatively. With the fear that the Ottomans were going to capture Cyprus, the city walls that were built in Luzinyan period, were made stronger that they could resist to fire arms and especially guns. While city walls were made stronger and thicker, the Mantinengo Citadel and Land Gate are built then. Also, to prevent, rebuff the attack came by the Ottomans and to strengthen the defence of the city, a 46 metres drain is filled with water outside of the city walls. In spite of all these efforts, after a long siege, the city is conquered by the Ottoman Army under the command of Lala Mustafa Pasha in August 1st 1571.


In Ottoman period the mansions, palaces of rich merchants, wealthy nobles were collapsed and, the trade and economic activities of Cyprus skipped to Larnaka. With the filling of the harbour, Magusa has lost its urban and economic importance in the period and its trading period has become history. In the city of Magusa, which has turned into a dead city, there has been a population of 4-5 hundred people, which most of them were soldiers. In the sources of the foreigners who visited Magusa in the 19th century, it was said that Magusa was boring with no attractive side and no different from a big prison in the day’s condition.

In that period, with non-Muslim population being pushed out of the border, it can be realised that the city had developed towards south. The first residential area in Maras and Southern Maras can be seen in this period. The city, in the period, has mostly been a place of banishment for the political criminals. Namik Kemal, Suphi Ezel and Kutup Osman are just a few of these banishments. With the changing of social and cultural life, the architectural and physical environment has also changed. Changes in the new buildings have been made for them to accommodate the new users’ social-economic and cultural lives, by adding minaret a cathedral has been turned into a mosque, markets where antiques are sold and arastas have developed, madrasahs, hammams and fountains were built to meet the daily needs. Because Magusa came into possession of the Ottoman with war, the city walls that have been damaged were needed to be restored. Today, especially from the area where the city wall goes from the place where Canbulat Tomb is placed along land, the traces of the Ottoman Period can be seen. In Surici, the population has majored headed to the south, by the dead ends, being the prolongation of the Ottoman culture and life, being added to the present organic structure, the structure has prospered and an inward life has arisen.



In the period starting from 1878 with the island being rented to the English, the harbour became important; many people worked in the harbour or in the warehouses related to the harbour. The city’s growing towards the south besides the city walls in the Ottoman period accelerates. In this period it can be seen that the Greeks and Turks had lived in different areas, Turks generally in Surici, Greeks in Maras and Southern Maras. As a reflection of colony concept the English have built a centre, alternative to the traditional one in Surici, which includes managerial and some business activities to a place between where Turks and Greeks live. Accordingly to these developments, the evolution and the growth of the city have been towards Maras where it’s the most appropriate and where Greeks live who have the economic activities in their hand. Together with the socio economic change and developments that occurred towards the end of the English period, new development regions including new residences, business, tourist and recreation areas as a response to the needs of city residents. At that time, a change in the city’s identity that included colony traces was a point at issue. The effects of English architecture could be seen especially in form, detail and the material that was used. The English, who use local material and details to get near to the people whom they rule, transferred their characteristics to the city of Magusa.


Consequently, in the 20th century Magusa had crept into its own skin with its historical structures that had become ruins or no trace was left from them at all, until it awakens once more.


When we come to the period of Cyprus Republic after 1960, Surici was governed by the Turkish; other regions were governed by the Greek City Hall. In this period the city, mainly, developed towards southeast of Southern Maras as a tourism centre. Especially because Beirut had lost importance in the war happened in Beirut between 1969-1970, Maras developed as the world’s most important entertainment and tourism centres. Together with English colonialism being felt on the buildings in the city, Modern Architecture could also be felt in Maras region. This period has taken its place in the history of architecture as reunion and enhancing of the structure, which gives life to history, of Magusa and Modern Architecture.

As it was for all of Cyprus, the year 1974 has been an important turning point for Magusa, too. Before that date, the city of 41,000 populations with the biggest harbour, important trade and tourism centre in the island, has experienced a new restructuring process after the war with the settling of immigrants from the south and Turkey between 1974-1986. In this period, because of the halt of settlement in Maras, the most dynamic region of the city, the development of the city stopped. With the founding of Eastern Mediterranean University in 1986, the city’s socio economic structure has changed; a population of students and university employee have been added. After this change, the development that was going towards the south before 1974, has reversed and headed the north-northeast. There especially has been major constructing in Sakarya, Karakol, Baykal, the north of Salmis Way and Tuzla region.

In the year 2000, the population of the city has passed 30 thousand, apart from being a historical, seaport city and regional centre; it has acquired the characteristic of being a university town. Today’s position of Magusa is as a continuation of its historical mission with the day’s conditions. Even today’s position of Cyprus being an island of two regions, has not taken any importance from Magusa. Today Magusa, hosting the biggest and the only Open Harbour of TRNC, is not only an economic harbour, but also the harbour in the fields of communication, science, technology, culture and related fields.