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HISTORIC WALLED CITY OF FAMAGUSTA

Famagusta, Cyprus

WMF Program:
Field Project, Research, Training, 2010 Watch, 2008 Watch
Keywords:
church, medieval, wall painting
Site Types:
Archaeological, Cultural Landscape, Sacred

BACKGROUND

Located along the busy shipping lanes of the eastern Mediterranean, Famagusta rose to prominence after a large number of Christians resettled in the city following the fall of the Levantine city of Acre to Saladin’s Muslim armies in 1291 during the Third Crusade. A port that once rivaled Constantinople and Venice, Famagusta was ruled by a succession of conquerors over several centuries, and the visible remains of these powers still dot the city. The Cathedral of St. Nicholas in Famagusta’s main square became the coronation site of the kings of Crusader Jerusalem.

The remains of a Venetian palace stand across the square from St. Nicholas. The Ottoman siege of 1571 was followed by more than three centuries of neglect, compounded by earthquakes and floods, which left the large sections of the city in ruins by the time the British arrived in 1878.

Today the city is much reduced from its former glory. A lack of resources in recent decades has contributed to the deterioration of the French, Greek, Genoese, Venetian, Ottoman, and British heritage found within the walls of this famed city. In addition, expansion of modern Famagusta has put in danger some of the historic sites in the old city. Despite continued political (and physical) divisions within the city between Turkish and Greek Cypriots, a movement has arisen to document and preserve the cultural treasures of the city. In 2008, structural engineers from the Department of Engineering of the University of Minho, Portugal, carried out a preliminary condition survey of historic structures within the walled city to determine an appropriate approach to a larger conservation plan. Similarly, the SAVE program of USAID completed a variety of projects at Famagusta to strengthen local capacity to care for these monuments and to advance better understanding and interpretation for visitors and residents. USAID conserved several structures as well. The efforts of these groups galvanized interest in seeing more of Famagusta protected and enjoyed by the public.

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HOW WE HELPED

In 2008 and 2010, the historic walled city of Famagusta was placed on the World Monuments Watch to draw attention to the extraordinary architecture spanning centuries and representing a fascinating narrative of economic, social, and maritime history of a Mediterranean city that figures prominently in the history of the region, unfortunately forgotten by much of the world today. (...)

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WHY IT MATTERS

Famagusta is remarkable for the layers of history visible in the remains of buildings built by successive waves of invaders and settlers. Conservation work on the important historic structures and a successful stewardship plan would allow for residents and visitors alike to enjoy this fascinating place. (...)

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VIDEOS

Against the Clock: Saving the Endangered Heritage of Famagusta
January, 2013

Once considered the richest city in the world with 365 churches and monumental fortifications, Famagusta in Cyprus has been largely overlooked by much of the world for most of the last century. Recent efforts to draw attention to the importance of the city and its built heritage, such as including the historic walled city on the 2008 and 2010 World Monuments Watch, have encouraged international collaboration and the creation of a revitalization plan for Famagusta. Against the Clock: Saving the Endangered Heritage of Famagusta describes these international partnerships and the various actions taken to preserve the historic structures, including technical missions supported by WMF to inform conservation efforts. This visual tour through the walled city and its churches damaged from a lack of maintenance and exposure to the elements conveys the sense that the clock is ticking.

The Forty: Saving the Forgotten Frescos of Famagusta
December, 2012

For five hundred years, an exquisite Renaissance fresco depicting the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste has remained hidden, forgotten, and neglected on the wall of a fourteenth-century church in Famagusta, Cyprus. The Forty charts the painstaking work of rescuing the fresco from obscurity and ruin, as part of a pioneering project that puts heritage above politics to begin, after decades of neglect, the work of saving Famagusta’s forgotten frescos. Produced, directed, and narrated by Dan Frodsham.

Report From the Field: Saving the Forgotten Frescoes of Famagusta, Cyprus
December, 2012

The Walled City of Famagusta was included on the World Monuments Watch in 2008 and 2010, drawing attention to the beauty and significance of the famed city, and its critical conservation and maintenance needs. After a 2008 assessment mission, WMF sponsored the conservation of the fifteenth-century Forty Martyrs of Sebaste in the Church of Saints Peter and Paul. Dr. Michael Walsh chronicles these efforts, while a documentary film tells the story of the first successful intervention in Famagusta in almost eight decades.

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HISTORIC WALLED CITY OF FAMAGUSTA

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