ELEVEN BASTIONS & THREE GATES
The Venetians were quick to identify the Ottoman threat to Cyprus after taking control of the island in 1489. Their response was swift, and they immediately began to fortify all of the major cities across the island. Nicosia, which became their administrative centre on the island, already had walls. Originally built by the Franks, these walls helped to protect the grand King’s palace that was flanked by a series of smaller palaces and both Orthodox and Latin churches.
By 1567, the old Frankish walls of Nicosia were obsolete and no longer relevant by conventional standards. Venetian architects were charged with designing and then building new walls more suitable for artillery. The design of the new walls that still stands today took the shape of an eleven-pointed star, each with a separate bastion. The three main gates are named after the region that they face. Kyrenia Gate faces north, whilst the Paphos Gate faces west. The Famagusta Gate faces east. The river Pedieos, which once flowed through the old walled city, was diverted for strategic reasons, creating a moat outside of the new walls.
The Ottomans, after invading the island in 1570, laid siege to the City of Nicosia. Although the walls stood firm, the city fell on September 9th of the same year. The city was then sacked, and every church, public building, and palace was looted. Up to 20,000 Cypriot defenders were put to death in the shadow of the walls, and when word of the massacre spread, it allowed the Ottomans to take the City of Kyrenia a few days later without firing a single shot.
