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Othello Castle
Famagusta and surrounding
Castles, Fortresses, Towers
Castles, Fortresses, Towers

The oriental temperament and passionate nature, mixed with burning jealousy, and here is the plot of the sad Shakespearean tragedy, whose famous phrase "Have you pray'd tonight, Desdemona?" has been translated into all major languages of the world. But not every fan of the great poet's work can name the very place where the terrible events lying in the foundation of the masterpiece took place. According to some historians and art critics, the prototype of mad Othello was a certain Venetian commandant of the city of Famagusta. He strangled his beloved wife Desdemona in a jealous rage in one of the towers of a medieval castle. Nobody knows that exactly, but afterward, the castle was called "Othello," though it happened much later, during the rule of the British Empire.

The history of the castle itself began long before the famous tragedy. At the beginning of the 13th century, King Henry I the Fat built the first defensive tower here, and by 1310, the whole castle was constructed. But the modern look, in the Renaissance style, it received in 1492, during the reign of the Venetian Republic. This is evidenced by a stone tablet with the picture of the symbol of Venice, the winged lion of St. Mark, as well as the name of the Cypriot commandant Nicolo Foscari and the date of reconstruction.

At that time, the castle had several watchtowers connected by spacious corridors with loopholes. Today, you can access the observation platforms of the towers from a large central courtyard with stone stairs leading you up. From there, the castle visitors have a magnificent view of the seaport and the entire old part of town. There are courtyards in the northern and southern parts, where large-scale exhibits of the castle museum are located. Here you can see several ancient bronze cannons and stone cannonballs that more than 400 years old.

Address: Famagusta old town city Magusa kale içi

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