Editing Kyrenia (section)

==History==
{{Main|History of Kyrenia}}

===Ancient times===
The earliest document which mention Kyrenia is the '[[Periplus of Pseudo-Scylax|Periplus of Pseudo Skylax]]'. It dates to the thirteenth century but is based on fourth-century BC knowledge. The manuscript names numerous towns along the Mediterranean coast and mentions Kyrenia as a harbour town: 'Opposite [[Cilicia]] is the island of Cyprus, and these are its city-states (poleis): [[Salamis, Cyprus|Salamis]], which is Greek and has a closed winter harbour; the [[Karpas Peninsula|Karpasia]], Kyrenia, [[Lapathus (Cyprus)|Lapithos]], which is [[Phoenicians|Phoenician]]; [[Soloi]] (this has also winter harbour); [[Marion, Cyprus|Marion]], which is Greek; [[Amathus]] (which is autochthonous). All of them have deserted (summer) harbours. And there are also city states speaking strange languages inland.'4 Skylax referred to both Kyrenia and Lapithos as Phoenician towns. Coins with Phoenician legends underline that the Northern coast between Kyrenia and Lapithos were at least under Phoenician influence.

Another topographical source is the 'Stadiasmus Maris Magni' (from the name 'stadion', a unit measuring distances, 1 stadion = 184 metres). The unknown author, who sailed from [[Cape Anamur]] on the Cilician coast to Cyprus and circumnavigated the island, gave the distances from Asia Minor to the nearest point in Cyprus. This was 300 stadia, about 55 000 metres. He also recorded distances between towns. From Soli to Kyrenia he counted 350 stadia, from Kyrenia to Lapithos 50 and from Lapithos to Karpasia it was 550 stadia.

The 'Geography' of [[Claudius Ptolemaios|Claudios Ptolemaios]] which was lost for over a thousand years and rediscovered in medieval times, is a further important source upon which the later cartography of the Renaissance is based. Ptolemy, who lived in Alexandria, Egypt, about 150 A.D., gives the distances between the towns and settlements of Cyprus which are marked by cycles. He also lists Kyrenia.

Another medieval reproduction of an ancient scroll is the '[[Tabula Peutingeriana]]' or 'Peutinger Table'. It is nearly seven metres long and one metre wide and shows the road network in the Roman Empire of the 4th/5th century. The roads are drawn in straight lines and the road-stations are marked by kinks, and towns by pictograms with the name of the place and the numbers in Roman miles. Kyrenia together with Paphos, Soloi, Tremethousa and Salamis are marked by a pictogram showing two towers close together. Kyrenia is connected by a road via Lapithos and Soli with Paphos and via Chytri (Greek Kythraea, Turkish Değirmenlik) with Salamis.

Through the use of milestones during Roman times, a new source appeared which shows that the road circuit around the island was completed. Kyrenia was connected via Soli and Paphos to the western and southern part of the island. At the same time, the road to the east was extended along the shore to Karpasia and Urania on the Karpas peninsula. During the following centuries, Kyrenia is variously named on the maps as Ceraunia, Cerenis, Keronean, Kernia and Kerini.

[[Cepheus, King of Tegea|Cepheus]] from [[Arcadia (ancient region)|Arcadia]] is believed to be the founder of the town of Kyrenia. A military leader, he arrived at the north coast of the island bringing with him many settlers from various towns in [[Achaea (ancient region)|Achaea]]. One such town, located near present-day [[Aigio]] in the [[Peloponnese]], was also called Kyrenia. This is said to be the home of the mythical [[Ceryneian Hind]] ({{langx|el|Κερυνῖτις ἔλαφος|Kerynitis elaphos}}) from the 12 [[Labours of Hercules]]. East of Kyrenia lies the "Coast of Achaeans". It was at Kyrenia, according to [[Strabo]], that [[Teucer]] came first ashore, to found the ancient Kingdom of [[Salamis Island|Salamis]] after the Trojan war.<ref>Strabo, ''Geography'', [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0198:book=14:chapter=6&highlight=teucer 14.6], on Perseus</ref>

The earliest reference made to the town of Kyrenia is found, together with that of the other seven city kingdoms of Cyprus, in [[Hieratic|Egyptian scripts]] dating from the period of [[Ramesses III]], 1125-1100s BC.

From its early days of settlement, Kyrenia's commerce and maritime trade benefited enormously from its proximity to the [[Anatolia|Asia Minor]] coast. Boats set sail from the [[Aegean Sea|Aegean islands]], traveled along the Asia Minor coast, and then crossed over the short distance to the northern shores of Cyprus to reach the two city kingdoms of [[Lapithos]] and Kyrenia. This lively maritime activity (late 4th or early 3rd century BC) is evident in an ancient shipwreck discovered by Andreas Kariolou in 1965, just outside Kyrenia harbour. The vessel's route along [[Samos Island|Samos]], [[Kos]], [[Rhodes]], the Asia Minor coastline and then Kyrenia, demonstrates the town's close maritime relations with other city kingdoms in the eastern [[Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean]].

During the succession struggle between [[Ptolemy I Soter|Ptolemy]] and [[Antigonus I Monophthalmus|Antigonus]] that followed [[Alexander the Great]]'s death in 323 BC, Kyrenia was subdued under the rule of the kingdom of Lapithos that allied itself with the [[Antigonid dynasty]]. [[Diodorus Siculus]](19.79) observes that in 312 BC. Ptolemy arrested [[Praxipos]] the king of Lapithos and the king of Kyrenia. Once the [[Ptolemaic dynasty|Ptolemies]] were successful in dominating the whole island, all city kingdoms were abolished. Kyrenia however, because of its maritime trade, continued to prosper. In the 2nd century BC, it is cited as one of six Cypriot towns which were benefactors to the Oracle at [[Delphi]], that is, it received its special representatives who collected contributions and gifts. The town's prosperity at this time is also evident from its two temples, one dedicated to [[Apollo]] and the other to [[Aphrodite]], and from the rich archeological finds dating from the [[Hellenistic period]] excavated within the present-day town limits.

The Romans succeeded the Ptolemies as rulers of Cyprus and during this time Lapithos became the administrative centre of the district. The numerous tombs excavated and the rich archeological finds dating from this period indicate however, that Kyrenia continued to be a populous and prosperous town. An inscription found at the base of a limestone statue dating from 13 to 37 AD, refers to 'Kyrenians Demos' that is, the town's inhabitants. Here as everywhere else, the Romans left their mark by constructing a castle with a seawall in front of it so that boats and ships could anchor in safety.

Christianity found fertile ground in the area. Early Christians used the old quarries of Chrysokava, just east of Kyrenia castle, as [[catacombs]] and cut-rock cemeteries which are considered among the island's most important specimens of this period. Later, some of these caves were converted into churches and feature iconography, the most representative of which is that found at ''Ayia Mavri''. The latest editions of the [[Roman Martyrology]]<ref>''Martyrologium Romanum'' (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2001 {{ISBN|978-88-209-7210-3}})</ref> no longer include a mention, as a martyr, of Bishop Theodotus of this see. The Greek [[Menologium]] recounts, under 6 May, that under [[Licinius]] he was arrested and tortured, before being released when the [[Edict of Milan]] of 313, of which Licinius was co-author, mandated toleration of Christians in the [[Roman Empire]].<ref>Michel Lequien, [https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_86weAemI-e4C ''Oriens christianus in quatuor Patriarchatus digestus''], Paris 1740, Vol. II, coll. 1073-1074</ref>

===Middle ages===
[[File:13th Century Lusignan Flag Kyrenia Cyprus.gif|thumb|XIII century flag of the Lusignan family, Kyrenia castle]]
With the division of the Roman Empire into an [[Byzantine Empire|eastern]] and a [[Western Roman Empire|western empire]], in 395 Cyprus came under the Byzantine emperors and the [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Greek Orthodox Church]]. The [[List of Byzantine Emperors|Byzantine emperors]] fortified Kyrenia's Roman castle and in the 10th century, they constructed in its vicinity a church dedicated to [[Saint George]], which the garrison used as a chapel. Then, when in 806, Lambousa was destroyed in the Arab raids, Kyrenia grew in importance because its castle and garrison offered its inhabitants protection and security. [[Isaac Komnenos of Cyprus]], the island's last Byzantine governor, sent his family and treasures to the castle for safety in 1191 when King [[Richard I of England]] went to war with him and became the island's new master.
[[File:Hazreti Omer Tomb, outside view, Kyrenia, North Cyprus.jpg|thumb|The Tomb of Hazreti Ömer, located near Çatalköy, dates back to early Islam and is an important pilgrimage site for Muslims.]]

Richard's rule was not welcomed in Cyprus so he sold the island first to the [[Knights Templar]], and then in 1192, to [[Guy of Lusignan]]. Under [[Kingdom of Cyprus|Frankish rule]], the villages of the district of Kyrenia became feudal estates and the town became once again the administrative and commercial centre for its region. The Lusignans enlarged the castle, built a wall and towers around the town, and extended the fortifications to the harbour. They also fortified the Byzantine castles of Saint Hilarion, Buffavento and Kantara, which, together with Kyrenia Castle, protected the town from land and sea attacks. Kyrenia castle played a pivotal role in the island's history during the many disputes among the Frankish kings, as well as the conflicts with the [[Genoa|Genoese]]. 
[[File:Lusignan coat of arms Detail.jpg|thumb|[[House of Lusignan|Lusignan]] coat of arms detail crests above the gateway to [[Kyrenia Castle]]]]
In 1229, during the [[War of the Lombards|civil war in Cyprus]], the forces of King [[Henry I of Cyprus]] and the [[House of Ibelin|Ibelins]] took the castle of Kyrenia from the supporters of [[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick II]] with the support of Genoese ships.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Edbury |first1=P. W. |title=The Kingdom of Cyprus and the Crusades, 1191-1374 |date=1991 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge |isbn=9780511562402 |page=61}}</ref><ref name="coureas">{{cite book |last1=Coureas |first1=Nicholas |editor1-last=Nicolaou-Konnari |editor1-first=Angel |editor2-last=Schabel |editor2-first=Chris |title=Cyprus: Society and Culture 1191-1374 |date=2005 |publisher=BRILL |page=123|chapter=Economy}}</ref> Strangely Henry I's wife [[Alice of Montferrat]] was one of the victims and he had never met her.

In 1489, Cyprus came under [[Republic of Venice|Venetian rule]]. The Venetians modified [[Kyrenia Castle]] to meet the threat that the use of gunpowder and cannons posed. The castle's royal quarters and three of its four thin and elegant Frankish towers were demolished and replaced by thickset circular towers that could better withstand cannon fire.

In 1505, a plague that was thought to have originated in Anatolia killed a quarter of the town's population. Another plague that originated in the Levant and affected parts of the island struck the town in 1523.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Arbel |first1=Benjamin |title=Cyprus, the Franks and Venice, 13th-16th Centuries |date=2000 |publisher=Ashgate |page=187 |chapter=Cypriot Population under Venetian Rule (1473-1571): A Demographic Study}}</ref>

The castle's towers were never put to the test. In 1571, the castle and the town surrendered to the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] army.

===Ottoman rule===
[[File:Cyprus, Illustration for La Terre-Sainte et les lieux illustrés par les apôtres, by Adrien Egron, 1837 (36).jpg|thumb|right|An illustration of Kyrenia in 1837]]
Under [[Cyprus under the Ottoman Empire|Ottoman rule]], Kyrenia district was at first one of four, then one of six, administrative districts of the island and the town remained its administrative capital. The town's fortunes declined however as it was transformed into a garrison town. The Christian population was expelled from the fortified city, and no one was allowed to reside within the castle other than the artillerymen and their families. These men coerced the town's inhabitants and those of the surrounding villages, Christian and Muslim alike, with their arbitrary looting and crimes. The few local inhabitants who dared to stay were merchants and fishermen whose livelihood depended on the sea. They built their homes outside the city wall, which through time, neglect and disrepair, turned to ruin. The rest of the inhabitants moved further out to the area known as Pano Kyrenia or the 'Riatiko' (so called because it once belonged to a king) or fled further inland and to the mountain villages of [[Thermeia]], [[Karakoumi]], [[Kazafani]], [[Bellapais]] and Karmi.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kyrenia.edu.tr/?page_id=2055|title=University of Kyrenia – Girne Üniversitesi {{!}} About Kyrenia|publisher=University of Kyrenia – Girne Üniversitesi|language=it-IT|access-date=8 April 2016|archive-date=27 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170127021015/http://kyrenia.edu.tr/?page_id=2055|url-status=dead}}</ref>
[[File:Ottoman cemetery Kyrenia.jpg|thumb|Ottoman cemetery, dome and graves]]
The town revived again when bribes and gifts paid to local Turkish officials caused them to permit local maritime trade with Asia Minor and the Aegean islands to resume. In 1783, the church of Chrysopolitissa was renovated. Then in 1856, following the [[Hatt-i Humayun of 1856|Hatt-i Humayun]], which introduced social and political reform and greater religious freedom for the various peoples of the Ottoman Empire, the church of Archangel Michael was rebuilt on a rocky mount overlooking the sea. At about this time, many of the Christian inhabitants of the surrounding villages re-established themselves in the town. Local agriculture and maritime trade, particularly the export of carobs to Asia Minor, allowed the people of Kyrenia to have a comfortable living, and some even to educate their children and pursue other cultural activities.
[[File:Ağa Cafer Paşa Mosque, Kyrenia, TRNC.jpg|thumb|Ağa Cafer Pasha Mosque is a historical Ottoman-era mosque located in the center of Kyrenia.]]
According to the 1831 census, which counted only male inhabitants, Muslims made up 52% of the population. By 1881, three years into the British administration of the island, Muslims and Christians in the town were still almost equal in numbers; the census for 1881 records the town's population as 570 Muslims and 594 Christians. However, a significant Muslim emigration from the town to Anatolia took place between 1881 and 1931, reducing the Muslim population ratio to only 36% in 1901, 32.5% in 1911, 30% in 1921, and 24% in 1931. One explanation for this exodus may be the general anxiety that prevailed among the island's Muslim population during the Balkan and First World wars, when the Ottomans fought against Greece in the former and Britain in the latter. Proclamation of the island as a British colony in 1924 caused further Turkish Cypriot emigration to Anatolia, symptomatic of the weak bond the Cypriot Turkish population had with the town. The Turkish Cypriot population proportion continued to decrease until 1960 when it reached 20%.<ref name=prio/>

===British rule===
[[File:(1878)_MAP_OF_KYRENIA.jpg|thumb|Map of Kyrenia in 1878]]
In 1878, following a secret agreement between the [[British Empire|British]] and [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] governments, the island was ceded to Great Britain as a military base in the eastern Mediterranean. At first Great Britain did not undertake major administrative changes, so Kyrenia remained the district's capital. A road was constructed through the mountain pass to connect the town to [[Nicosia]], the island's capital, and the harbour was repaired and expanded to accommodate increasing trade with the opposite coast. The town's municipal affairs were put in order and the municipal council took an active role in cleaning and modernizing the town.

In 1893, a hospital was built through private contributions and effort. By the 1900s (decade), Kyrenia was a buzzing little town with a new school building, its own newspaper, and social, educational, and athletic clubs. It was also a favoured vacation spot for many wealthy Nicosian families. Many homes were converted into pensions and boardinghouses and in 1906, the first hotel, Akteon, was built by the sea.
[[File:St Andrew church Kyrenia.jpg|thumb|St Andrew's Church is part of the Anglican church's [[Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf]].]]
These first decades of British rule however, also saw increased economic hardship for the population. High taxation, frequent droughts, and a world economic depression were precipitating factors for a mass exodus of people from the town and district, first to Egypt and then to the United States. The transfer of the island to British rule also prompted anxiety in the [[Turkish Cypriot]] population, whose numbers stagnated as a significant emigration to [[Anatolia]] took place. Meanwhile, the ratio of the [[Greek Cypriots]] grew significantly from 49% to 67%.<ref name=prio/>

In 1922, the [[Episcopal see]] of Kyrenia relocated back to the town after the completion of a new [[Metropolitan bishop|metropolitan]] building. That same year, the [[Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922)|Greco-Turkish war]] brought to a halt all trade with the opposite coast causing a serious economic depression.

Costas Catsellis, a young repatriate from the United States, came to the rescue by building the town's first modern hotels, the Seaview in 1922 and the Dome in 1932. Kyrenia's mild climate, picturesque harbour, numerous archeological sites, panoramic views that combined sea, mountains and vegetation, coupled with modern amenities, soon attracted many travellers and Kyrenia's economy revived through tourism.

After the Second World War, more hotels were built and the town remained a favoured vacation spot for people from Nicosia and foreign travellers alike. To the town's Greek and Turkish inhabitants were added many from Great Britain, who chose Kyrenia as their permanent place of residence.

===1960-present===
[[File:Kyrenia Harbour 1967.jpg|thumb|upright=1.7|Kyrenia Harbour in 1967]]
In 1960, Cyprus gained its independence from Great Britain. However, the intercommunal conflict that broke out in 1963–64 between the island's Greek and Turkish population again eroded Kyrenia's prosperity. While skirmishes in Kyrenia were minimal, the [[Turkish Resistance Organisation]] did blockade the Kyrenia-Nicosia road and occupy Saint Hilarion castle.

Despite these difficulties, the 1960s and early 1970s was a period of lively cultural and economic activity. A new town hall was built and a Folklore Museum established. The ancient shipwreck<ref>[http://www.kyreniaship.org ΙΔΡΥΜΑ ΚΕΡΥΝΕΙΑ ΧΡΥΣΟΚΑΒΑ.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070218231337/http://www.kyreniaship.org/ |date=18 February 2007 }} Kyrenia Chrysocava Cultural Foundation © 2000</ref> already alluded to was reassembled, together with all its amphorae and cargo, and permanently exhibited at the castle. The number of new hotels and tourists multiplied and a new road was constructed in the early 1970s connecting the town to Nicosia from the east. The town's cultural activities greatly increased. Other than the many traditional cultural and religious fairs and festivals annually celebrated, flower shows, yachting races, concerts and theater performances were organized. Kyrenia, the smallest of Cypriot towns, was undoubtedly the island's most precious jewel.

According to the 1973 census, 67.7% of the city's inhabitants were [[Greek Cypriots]], while the [[Turkish Cypriots]] made up 25.1% of the population.<ref name=prio/> The town's inhabitants, Greek, Turk, [[Maronite Cypriots|Maronite]], Armenian, Latin and British peacefully coexisted and cooperated in their daily affairs and the town had grown beyond its two historic neighbourhoods of Kato (Lower) Kyrenia and Pano (Upper) Kyrenia. It expanded towards the mountain slopes to form the new neighbourhood of "California", and eastward it had just about reached the outskirts of Thermia, Karakoumi and Ayios Georgios.

On 20 July 1974, the [[Turkish invasion of Cyprus|Turkish army invaded]] Cyprus in response to a [[1974 Cypriot coup d'état|coup d'état]] carried out by [[EOKA B]] and the [[Greek military junta of 1967–1974]],<ref name="TIME">{{Cite magazine |title=CYPRUS: Big Troubles over a Small Island |date=29 July 1974 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,911440,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080307152514/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,911440,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=7 March 2008 }}</ref> landing at 5-Mile point, west of Kyrenia. Gaining ground against the local forces, the [[Turkish Army]] reached Kyrenia on 22 July 1974 during the UN-sponsored cease fire.{{Citation needed|date=June 2012}} The majority of the Greek Cypriot population of the city fled in the wake of the Turkish advance. A small group of Greek Cypriots who tried to remain within Kyrenia were kept in the Dome Hotel until October 1975, after which they were taken to [[Bellapais]]; the total number of the displaced Kyrenian Greek Cypriots were around 2,650. Subsequently, Turkish Cypriots displaced from elsewhere in Cyprus and immigrants from Turkey moved in, with the result that the town's present ethnic make-up is predominantly Turkish and Turkish-Cypriot.<ref name=prio>{{cite web|url=http://www.prio-cyprus-displacement.net/default.asp?id=450 |title=PRIO |publisher=Prio-cyprus-displacement.net |access-date=29 March 2017}}</ref>