The original Byzantine castle was largely destroyed, along with the nearby Saranta Kolones fortress, by a huge earthquake in 1222. The Lusignan Franks, who were ruling Cyprus at the time, soon reconstructed it from the ruins of the original Byzantine structure. The fort then remained intact until it was intentionally dismantled by the ruling Venetians in 1570. The Venetians defending Paphos did this to prevent invading Ottoman forces from using it as a stronghold after they established a foothold on the coast of Paphos. The Ottomans, after taking full control of Cyprus a year later, then restored and expanded the castle into the heavy square-tower stone structure that is seen today. The Ottomans then used the new, improved structure as a prison. The British, who took control of the island in 1878, then utilised the castle as a secure storage facility for salt. This, however, ceased after the castle was declared an official national monument in 1935.