Buffavento

Buffavento ( Italian: Buffavento , Greek. Βουφαβέντο ) - a castle in the north of Cyprus . It got its name because of its high mountain location (950 meters above sea level), and translated from Italian means “protection from the winds . "

Buffavento Castle

Buffavento is located in the Kyrenia Mountains between the castles of St. Hilarion and Kantar , and, like them, was built to protect against Arab raids, and controlled the most important crossings through the mountains. Between the locks, an alarm system was established using large fire torches.

The lower part of the castle was probably built by the Byzantines in the 11th century . In the XIV century, the castle was expanded and fortified by the Lusignans , under whose control it fell. At the same time, it began to be used as a prison . During the control of the island by the Venetians, the castle lost its significance, giving way to other coastal castles.