Richard And Jo Demeester's photos with the keyword: Northern Cyprus

This map shows the walled town section of Lefkosia (Nicosia) leaving out the north/south division. It is a good map to show the shape of the Venetian built medieval walls – sort of like a snow flake, or a cross section of plant on a microscope slide.

A “not so obvious” sign from Northern Cyprus. Our interpretation was that cars have one speed limit, trucks and heavy vehicles another, and cars that are on fire or are exploding should drive slower again.

Gothic features of the once-upon-a-time-it-was Cathedral of Agios Nikolaos, Famagusta, modelled on the cathedral of Reims (Rheims) in France. The added minaret (when it was converted in to the Lala Mustafa Paşa Mosque) does not blend in all that well.

Modelled on the cathedral of Reims (Rheims), France, this used to be the Cathedral of Agios Nikolaos. In 1571, the towers were severely damaged during an Ottoman siege, and after Famagusta fell, the conquering Ottomans stripped the inside and added a minaret. Since then, it has been the Lala Mustafa Paşa Mosque.

Ruins of one of Cyprus' city kingdoms, Salamis.

Fantastic and generous restaurateur, Tayfun. This is his self decorated place in the village of Yenierenköy. After getting us in to his place with a good deal and a great atmosphere, he thrust a bunch of freebies on to us, too. Coffee, which is not an unusual “extra”, but also a bag of fruit from his own garden – pears and enough grapes to sink a ship.

This is the the view from the third castle, Kantara, in the Kyrenia Range.

This was the start of the big late lunch I referred to. This shows the dips and salads. Soon, we were to start receiving the meats and hot dishes. This meze had about 25 different dishes! No dinner needed that night.

Viewed from our rooftop terrace in Kyrenia, you can make out the castle structures of St Hilarion on the rocky peak. The moon completes the picture.

In anticipation of a big late lunch, we had a light early snack. So healthy, hey, with our fruit. We found this cute little perch in the royal quarters of St Hilarion Castle. This is another of the three castles that I referred to earlier. A bit of climbing was required for this one, too.

This photo is also taken from Buffavento Castle. This is looking to the south of the Kyrenia Range, over the plain of the Mesarya. It is quite a contrast from the north view in the other photo. Visible here is one of the castle's lower structures.

Taken from a castle called Buffavento. The city visible down by the coast is Kyrenia. Buffavento was one of three castles in the mountain ridge known as the Kyrenia Range along Cyprus' north. The three castles were built in line of sight of each other, allowing them to send warnings with beacon fires. This one required a bit of effort to reach, being a 30 minute steady climb in the sun from the car park. Little fortification was required as the natural rock provided considerable protection already.

The massive walls of Kyrenia Castle create a beautiful backdrop to the tiny harbour. The very late sun throws a nice glow over the scene.

There is a soccer pitch in the foreground, and then barbed wire and barrels and the United Nations watchtower, marking the buffer zone of no-man's-land. The imposing wall on the left is one of the impressive spade shaped bastions on Lefkosia's fantastic Venetian medieval walls.

Well, when these barrels were put in place, there were assumptions they would only be temporary. After all, how long could Lefkosia remain divided? 30 something years later... The building behind is abandoned, and lies in no-man's-land.

Nothing beats a lovely cat. Just as prevalent north of the Green Line as south. Just as cute, too.

Atop one of the original gates in the medieval walls, the southern (Republic of Cyprus) forces have created a strengthened position. The passage under the wall can be used. The paths and steps up the walls end abruptly at solid walls with firing slits for guns. The Turkish side, over the “Green Line”, is actually off to the right side of the photo (i.e. walking under the wall has you still on the same side of Cyprus, but outside of the old city, if that makes sense). But, this is a very significant point, as both sides hold their positions strongly, the buffer zone between them is almost non-existent, and this puts the foes within spitting distance of each other. Four flags flutter at each other here – Greek and Cyprus versus Turkish and North Cyprus. Sorry, couldn't get the flags in a photo as they were in the “do not photograph here” zones.

In the northern part of Lefkosia (Nicosia), there are a number of buildings that were built as churches but have since had their function changed. This is the Haydarpasha Mosque, formerly the Church of St Catherine.