Must-see
Buffavento Castle
One of the three castles of Pentadaktylos, and the highest of them
The story
Buffavento is a ruined castle on the Pentadaktylos range, north of Nicosia, about 950 meters above the sea. It is the highest of the range’s three mountain castles, together with Saint Hilarion and Kantara. The first fortifications were most likely built by the Byzantines; the exact date is unknown. In 1191 the garrison surrendered the castle to Richard the Lionheart. Under the Lusignans it was a prison and a lookout post: from here, fire signals were sent to Nicosia and Kyrenia. In the 16th century the Venetians dismantled the castle. It stands in the north of the island, which the Republic of Cyprus has not controlled since 1974.
Buffavento is one of the three castles on the peaks of Pentadaktylos, together with Saint Hilarion and Kantara, and the highest of them, about 950 m. The name is usually traced to Italian and translated as “defying the winds”. The castle is in the north, which the Republic of Cyprus has not controlled since 1974.
Visiting
The castle is in the north. By car, go through a crossing point on the dividing line, for example Agios Dometios in Nicosia, with a passport. Republic of Cyprus insurance usually does not apply in the north; separate insurance is bought at the crossing. A narrow mountain road leads to the car park, and from there it is about a 300 m climb on foot up steps to the walls. Opening hours and ticket have not been checked.
Photos
Sources
- B. K. Molin, The role of castles in the political and military history of the Crusader States and the Levant 1187 to 1380 (PhD thesis, University of Leeds, 1995): Buffavento pp. 208–210, the signalling network and the prison in later chapters
- Hallouminati (commercial exam-prep guide, not official): Mountains, dams and nature, Pentadaktylos peaks table
- Hallouminati (commercial exam-prep guide, not official): Archaeological sites, castles table
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