- Buffavento
Buffavento Castle is located in northern
Cyprus . It means in Italian “Defier of the Winds”. The winds can reach quite high speeds in its exposed location at 950 metres above sea level.It stands in the middle of the Kyrenia range castles, with
St. Hilarion Castle to the west andKantara Castle to the east, all of which were built as a defense againstArab raids. As both of the other castles are visible from Buffavento, it was used to pass signals between them. It also controlled an important pass through the mountains. It was used as a prison in the 14th century.The lowest part of the castle was probably built by the Byzantines in the 11th century. This base was expanded upon by the
Lusignan s in the 14th century. It is not regular in shape as it makes use of the mountain itself for its defense. During the Venetian control of the island, Buffavento fell into disuse as the coastal castles of Cyprus, such asKyrenia andFamagusta , were seen as more important.
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