Nicosia

Above: Picture of Famagausta Gate

The Famagusta Gate is a historical relic piece handed down by the island’s tumultuous history. It is also a portion of the fortified medieval town wall of Nicosia. Initially, it was labeled by the Venetians as the “Porta Guiliana”. This was a tribute to Count Savorgnano - the military engineer who created the wall.

During that time, the Gate was also recognized as the “Porta di Sotto” or the Lower Gate. This was due to the fact that there was so much dissimilarity in the leveling compared to its exterior. It is also known as the “Taht-el-kaleh” to the Turks.

Lefkosia was first inhabited over 5000 years ago. It was first known as Ledra during the Hellenistic period, but later the name was changed to Lefkothea under the Ptolemists. During the first Christian years it became known as Lefkosia.

Lefkosia, the capital of Cyprus is better known to foreigners by its mediaeval name, Nicosia. The city’s origins go back in history as the earliest human settlements found in the vicinity of the modern city date back to the 3rd millennium BC.