Iskele ( Trikomo ) : Iskele is an important tourist centre. The people are hospitable, very interested in culture and art related activities. In the municipal park of Iskele, locals and tourists stay up until the break of dawn singing live music, and enjoying the sweet times past in North Cyprus.On the way to Karpaz from Famagusta,the largest settlement in the area is İskele.The town,called Trikoma until 1974,is mainly inhabited by the Turkish-Cypriot refugees from Larnaca who relocated to here after 1974.Situated on the way to Karpaz from Famagusta is a small town called Boğaz,which hosts several tourism facilities and fish restaurants.The coastline of Boğaz,Haravdi Beach,serves as a public beach in the high season.Untouched and beautiful beaches,rich vegetation and cultural heritage that adorn İskele and Karpaz Peninsula offer an ideal vacation of peace and tranguillity.The region is also home to wild Cypriot donkeys. Kantara Castle: Erected on a group of steep hills,Kantara was built to overlook Mediterranean to secure the safety of the coasline.The castle took its final shape,which survived today,under the rule of King of Cyprus James I, who made several changes in the architecture.With the Venetian conguestin 1525,Kantara Castel fell from fashion. This is an appropriate name, as the castle is located at a point which bridges the mountain range and commands views of both the north and the south coasts. On a clear day, it is possible to see across both sides of the Karpaz peninsula, and on to the distant mountains of Turkey. In winter is sometimes possible to see the snows of Lebanon, over 160km away. Apostle Andreas Monastery: Situated at the easternömost tip of the island of Cyprus,the Monastery has been an important pilgrimage destination for the Orthodox for hundreds of years.The oldest surviving part of the monostery is only a 15th-C chapel. Golden Beach: This is a kilometers-long beach famous for its peculiar tiny sand of golden colour.Every year hundreds of Caretta sea-turtles come to this beautiful spot to lay their hatches. Golden Sands, in the height of summer, offers the opportunities for you to witness the turtles laying their eggs or better still the hatching of the babies from the carefully monitored nests. A few years ago, I was fortunate enough to be there when a large cloude clipsed the sun, confusing the baby turtles into thinking it was nighttime and consequentlythey hatched prematurely. The centre there that monitors the turtles' breeding habits promptly rescued the little ones and kept them safe for the day until it was possible to release them into the sea after dark, as they would have done naturally. For the adventurous among you there is the chance to stay right on the beach in one of the huts that are available for hire. The cost of staying there is unbelievably cheap with good food, freashly barbecued on the terrace. Adjacent to Golden Sands is the aptly named Turtle Beach where Hassan, a former Marine Biologist, runs a bar/café and basic accommodation. Ayios Philon Church : It has been constructed on ruins dating from the Hellenistic and Roman periods. Philon is the saint who converted the people of Karpaz to Christianity in the 4th century. The church comprises a three-part apsis and a courtyard surrounded with columns. There are colourful mosaics on the floor. A domed church was built in the 12th century on the ruins of the old building destroyed by the Arab pirates. It also has a cistern and a baptising room. The region it is in, is the vicinity of the town of Karpasia in the Phoenician period. Aya Trias Bazilica: The Basilica dates back to the 6th century A.D. Probably because it was destroyed in mid-7th century, a small church and some annexes were added to its southern flank. As these buildings were destroyed in the ninth and tenth centuries A.D., this settlement was not used any more. The basilica has three sections: to the west is the exterior, atrium; to the southeast are the annexes and the baptistery. The floor is covered with mosaics with motifs of geometric shapes, leaves and crosses. It is recorded in the inscription on the mosaics that they were made by Heraclos, one of the assistants of the pries | |