Description of the attraction
Rivellino Tower was built to strengthen one of the two main entrances to the territory of the old city of Famagusta, located in the northern part of Cyprus, which was surrounded by a high fortified wall. This bastion is also called Land Gate, which means "Land Gate", as opposed to the second city gate called "Sea" (Porta del Mare). In addition, it also has several other names that changed depending on who captured this fortress. So, it is sometimes called Rivellino and Akkule, or "White Tower".
The tower is one of the oldest parts of the fortified wall around Famagusta, as it was created even before the capture of the city by the Venetians, who built most of the defensive structures that have survived to this day. Rivellino was originally built by the French during the Lusignan dynasty, not far from the city's main gate. Later, the Venetians who occupied Famagusta, in parallel with the completion and strengthening of the city wall, decided to modernize this tower, turning it into a bastion. Thanks to them, equipped firing positions, chambers for storing ammunition appeared in the tower, in addition, they built a bastion on rocky outcrops, thereby significantly complicating the possible undermining of the structure. They also surrounded the wall with a deep moat and built a lifting gate - the only entrance to the fortress in this part of the city.
But despite all the efforts of the Venetians, the Ottomans, after a year's siege, still managed to capture the city without destroying the very protective wall and bastions. Having settled in Famagusta, the invaders renamed the tower in "Akkula", which means "white tower" - as it is believed, according to the color of the white flag that the defenders of the city hung out when they decided to surrender.
