Kyrenia
Kyrenia - Old Port
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Kyrenia’s geographical position is on the northern coast of Cyprus next to slopes of the mountain called Pentadaktylos.The city includes a Castle dating back to 1191 referring to Richard Lionheart’s campaign in the area. It is thought that the castle may have been constructed around the 7th century AD, although there is no recorded exact date of construction. The architectural style and materials of the old buildings surrounding the harbor and the city center show the different characters inherited from different cultures: Greek, Roman, Lusignan, Venetian, Ottoman and English. The traditional Cypriot settlements reveal a cohesive character with well-scaled narrow streets and cul-de-sacs and organic open public spaces at the intersection of streets, while the houses are simple in size and architectural details. Most of them are courtyard houses. The width of the streets is changeable. In some sections the passageway is so narrow that the visual continuity is broken and the space is well suited for social interaction. The buildings are usually no more than three stories high and horizontal lines are dominant on facades. Contemporary Kyrenia presents a number of problems for researchers familiar to urban morphology and that have ventured outside the European countries. Local identity is lacking, even in the new municipal square or the monument square which are the two nodal, polar squares of Kyrenia at present, as well as in Ramadan Cemil Meydanı and the square next to the Dome Hotel. Both squares lack three-dimensional qualities; the major node serves as a traffic roundabout only, and the other square, despite its potential of being a lively gateway to the harbor area and a ‘place where to go’, reveals a very artificial image and does not attract people at all. In addition, green elements that are characteristic to the region are not valued; there is no clear identity in the newly developed quarters and their negative features greatly endanger the identity and local values of Kyrenia.
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Fringe Belts
The image below shows the development of the built up area in Kyrenia. It highlights the various stages of development of the urban fabric. A recurrent feature was the medieval wall and fortification zone, which acted as what M.R.G. Conzen termed as a fixation line. In due course, this was often followed by a ring road. Another interesting feature of the urban fabric is the Old Turkish quarter built outside the historical center. This part of the city was built during the Ottoman rule around the 17th Century and is now protected as part of the historical center of the Town. The empty grey spaces are the Turkish military bases, which create a fragmented urban fabric.
The image below shows the development of the built up area in Kyrenia. It highlights the various stages of development of the urban fabric. A recurrent feature was the medieval wall and fortification zone, which acted as what M.R.G. Conzen termed as a fixation line. In due course, this was often followed by a ring road. Another interesting feature of the urban fabric is the Old Turkish quarter built outside the historical center. This part of the city was built during the Ottoman rule around the 17th Century and is now protected as part of the historical center of the Town. The empty grey spaces are the Turkish military bases, which create a fragmented urban fabric.
Bibliography
- A. Camiz, A. Bruccoleri (2016), Morphology of the urban organism in Cyprus. The effect of borders and political changes in the fringe belts of Girne, TRNC, in G. Strappa, A.R.D. Amato, A. Camporeale eds., City as Organism. New Visions for Urban Life, (22nd ISUF International Conference, 22-26 september 2015, Rome Italy), vol. 2, U+D editions, Rome 2016, pp. 1481-1488, ISBN: 9788894118810.
- Oktay D. How can urban context maintain urban identity and sustainability?: Evaluations of Taormina (Sicily) and Kyrenia (North Cyprus), http://www.webjournal.unior.it - (II) 2006.
- Oktay D. The quest for urban identity in the changing context of the city: Northrn Cyprus. Cities, Vol. 19, No. 4, pp. 261–271, 2002.
- Oktay B, Pasaogulları N. and Faslı M. (2003). Revitalization of a street in a historic urban quarter : case study: Girne Liman Arkası. 19th International Symposium: New perspectives to Save Cultural Heritage Proceedings, 30 September 4 October 2003, Antalya, Turkey.
Lead Contributor: Alessandro Bruccoleri is an Italian architect living in Cyprus. He graduated in Rome at "Universita' degli studi di Roma La Sapienza", with a master degree in Architecture and construction engineering ( Faculty of Architecture Vallegiulia) in 2013. He studied at the Technical University of Vienna for one year. His thesis was about the process of medieval cities and how contemporary design can deal with the historical urban fabric. Currently studying for a Phd and working as a teacher with the Girne American University, faculty of Architecture and fine arts in Kyrenia, his research focuses on the urban growth of the city of Kyrenia and its urban fringe belts.