Description of the attraction
Forty Columns Castle, located near Paphos, is one of the many fortified castles of Cyprus that were created to defend territories from Arab raids. Earlier it was believed that this castle was built in the XIII century, however, archaeological excavations of recent years indicate that the fortress at this place appeared in the VII century thanks to the Byzantines, but later, at the beginning of the XIII century, when Guy de Lusignan, the castle was completely rebuilt. However, already in 1222, the structure was almost completely destroyed due to a strong earthquake.
The fortress got its name due to the large number of granite columns that supported the vault of the castle. Presumably, all the columns were specially brought from the Greek city of Agora. Initially, the fortress was surrounded by a massive wall, the thickness of which was about three meters, in front of it a deep ditch was traditionally dug and filled with water. The castle was also defended by eight fortified towers. The territory of the fortress could only be reached by a wooden drawbridge. The area of the courtyard was rather small - only 35 square meters.
Despite the fact that now almost only ruins remain of the Forty Columns Castle, it is one of the greatest archaeological values not only of Cyprus, but of the whole world. There you can still admire the columns, the miraculously preserved remains of the towers, spiral staircases, gloomy dungeons and cellars, which once housed a forge, a bathhouse, a mill and even a stable.
