Famagusta

Famagusta, known as Gazimağusa in Turkish, is a historic port city on the east coast of Cyprus. It serves as the administrative center of the Famagusta District in the Republic of Cyprus, though the city has been under the de facto control of Northern Cyprus since 1974. The natural harbor has long supported fishing, trade, and shipping.

The area has a long history of settlement, with the ancient city of Salamis nearby. In the medieval era, Famagusta grew as a major trading hub and was enclosed by extensive fortifications built by the Venetians in the 15th and 16th centuries to defend the harbor and the town.

The city declined after the Ottoman conquest in 1571, when the Cathedral of St. Nicholas was converted into the Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque. The characteristic walls and towers of the Old City remain, including structures such as Othello’s Tower near the harbor. A district within the city, Varosha, has been fenced off and largely abandoned since the 1974 conflict, remaining largely closed to visitors for decades.

Today, Famagusta’s economy relies on tourism, port activity, and services. The population and administrative status are shaped by the island’s ongoing division, with the city playing a prominent role in Cypriot history and preserving a broad array of archaeological and architectural remains that reflect its layered past.