Kantara is one of the most important castles by which the natural defense of the Kyrenia range was reinforced. The word "Kantara" in Arabic means bridge or arch. Since this castle bridges the range amd commands all the area surrounding it, the name is more than appropriate. It is built on a group of steep cliffs. The origins of Kantara castle go back to the 10th century when it was built as a lookout post. The first reference to the castle in therecords is in 1191 when Richard the Lionheart captures Cyprus and Issac Commenos, the rebel Byzantine price from Trabzon who had captured the island and proclaiming himself King of the island, after having ruled for seven years as a despot, sheltered in Kantara. In the 12th century the Lusignans remodeled it.
Throughout the island's history Kantara often served as a shelter for defeated barons and kings. When the Genoese conquered Famagusta and Nicosia in 1373, Kantara remained in the hands of John of Antioch, the brother of King Peter I till he moved to St. Hilarion. Later his brother King James I (1382-1398) refortified Kantara. |
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