Kantara Castle
The Kantara Castle, Greek Κάστρο της Καντάρας, French Le Candaire, Frankish Candare, English Kantara Castle is a medieval castle in Pentadaktylos / Beşparnak Mountains in the northeast of the Mediterranean island of Cyprus near the mountain village of the same name.
Name
The name of the castle is borrowed from Arabic and means " tall building ".
Location
The hill fort is situated at about 700 meters. From Kantara one can overlook the north coast of the island as well as the level of Mesaoria; also controlled the castle to access the Karpas peninsula.
History
The origins of the castle go - as in the west located in Beşparnak castles of St. Hilarion and Buffavento - until the 10th century. The former observation post of the Byzantines against Arab invaders was expanded in the 12th century to a large castle.
Mention was Kantara in connection with the conquest of Cyprus in 1191 by the English King Richard the Lionheart, as Emperor Isaac Komnenos of Cyprus sought shelter here. Richard, who was on the Third Crusade to recapture Jerusalem on the way to the Holy Land, landed on May 6, 1191 with his fleet in the port of Lemesos ( Limassol), occupied the town and married there on May 12, 1191 his bride Berengaria of Navarre. When Isaac arrived with his troops in Lemesos, he saw that they were inferior to the Crusader army. Richard called Isaac's abdication but it withdrew to Kantara to make of his fortresses in Pentadaktylos of resistance. After the successful siege Kantaras Isaac Komnenos was.
In May 1192 Richard sold Cyprus to Guy of Lusignan, the present on the flight of King of Jerusalem, who thus became the first ruler of the kingdom of Cyprus and its progeny, the island until the death of James III. dominated in 1474.
In the clashes between supporters of the Roman-German King Frederick II and the Cypriot King Henry I of Cyprus in the summer of 1229 to Gauvain de Chenichy entrenched in Kantara, but was forced by Henry to the task. The reconquest by the followers of Frederick II in 1232, however, was not to last.
Regardless of the conquests by the Genoese in 1373 Kantara remained in the hands of the faithful of the house of Lusignan under King Peter II Today's remains of the castle probably go to the conversions made in 1391 back.
Although the Venetians realized the strategic importance of the castle, she was already in ruins in 1562.
Castle
Passing by two rectangular towers, you enter the castle from the east and enters the protected by two more powerful towers kennel. Through a portal in the wall that connects these towers, you get into the upper castle. From the legendary room of the Queen, in its south wall, a window has received, there is a view over the northern part of Cyprus and the Karpas peninsula. Presumably was from here a line of sight to the neighboring castle Buffavento.