Kyrenia Castle, Medieval fortress at Kyrenia harbor, Cyprus.

Kyrenia Castle is a medieval fortress at Kyrenia harbor built with thick defensive walls, round towers, and strategically placed gun ports distributed across three levels. The structure combines military defenses with living quarters and houses several museums today.

The Byzantine fortress began in the 7th century as protection against Arab naval raids and was later captured by Richard I. The Crusaders strengthened and expanded it into a more powerful stronghold.

The castle's name appears in Greek as Κάστρο της Κερύνειας and in Turkish as Girne Kalesi. The 12th-century Church of St. George, reached by a passage left of the entrance corridor, has a dome resting on marble columns with Corinthian capitals salvaged from an older building. The Lusignan coat of arms with three lions, set in the vault of the inner gate, was brought here from another structure.

You enter the fortress through a paved pathway to the main gate and can then explore the grounds and museums inside. There are several levels to navigate, so comfortable shoes are helpful.

The Shipwreck Museum holds the hull of a Greek merchant ship from the 4th century BC, found by diver Andreas Kariolou in 1965 and studied from 1969 to 1974 by a team under Michael Katsev. It was about 80 years old when it sank off the harbour with millstones and amphorae of wine from Kos and Rhodes.