Othello Castle, Medieval fortress in Famagusta, Cyprus
Othello Castle is a medieval fortress in Famagusta, Cyprus, built around a central courtyard with four rounded corner towers and thick defensive walls. Inside, visitors can walk through storage chambers and underground passages that were designed to protect the garrison against attacks from the sea.
The fortress dates to the 14th century, when it was built under Cypriot rule and later taken over by the Venetians. They replaced the original square towers with rounded ones to resist the artillery that had become common in warfare at the time.
The castle takes its name from Shakespeare's play, which features a Venetian general in a Cypriot seaport. Visitors can read about this literary connection on the information panels inside the fortress, making it a place where military and theatrical history meet in a concrete and visible way.
The fortress entrance is in the old town of Famagusta, a short walk from the old harbor, and easy to find on foot. Wear sturdy shoes, as the floors are uneven in places and the towers require climbing narrow stairs.
Stone and metal cannonballs from past sieges still lie scattered across the grounds, left where they landed centuries ago. They were never removed, so visitors today simply walk past them as if they had always been part of the scenery.
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