Famagusta (Gazimağusa)

Famagusta lies on the east coast beside Cyprus's deepest harbour. Under Genoa and Venice it was the gateway for trade with the Levant, from where Silk Road merchants' goods were shipped to Europe.

Thick walls built in the 14th century and strengthened by the Venetians surround the city. Ottoman forces took it in 1571 after an eleven-month siege — hence the name Gazi — and Othello Castle, part of the walls, takes its name from Shakespeare's play.

Its largest medieval building is the Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque, built as a Gothic cathedral between 1298 and about 1400 and converted into a mosque after the Ottoman conquest; the ruins of ancient Salamis nearby also draw visitors.