Iskele is on the coastal roads from both Nicosia and Famagusta going towards Karpas. The residence of Iskele will give you a warm and friendly welcome. Iskele is mainly inhabited by Turkish Cypriots who relocated their in 1974 from Larnaca.
The 15th century church of St. Jacob rules the centre of the town. The village was the birthplace of EOKA Colonel George Grivas, who was once a leader of the Enosis movement which aimed union with Greece. Grivas died six months before the 1974 war.
If you’re looking for peace and quiet, head towards the Karpas peninsula. There are ancient churches and ruins, as well as wildlife and un-spoilt beaches. The Karpas also has wild donkeys roaming around. To the South of the Karpas peninsula you’ll find the beautiful coastal village of Boğaz. There are some welcoming areas of sandy beaches that make the area very popular.
In the summer Iskele has an annual festival and also has a grape festival. Both of these attract visitors from across the island as they are major regional events.
Kantara Castle, like Buffavento Castle and St. Hilarion Castle, is rumoured to have been built for protection against Arab raids, and stand 2068 about sea level. During the Lusignan and Venetian periods, the castle was at its peak. Kantara Castle is 1000 meters above sea level. The castle used to serve as a good shelter and also a defence stronghold against pirate raids. Now it serves as an excellent place to get an overview of the entire northern coastline and the Karpas peninsula. It is also very popular for mountain hiking.
In the Karpas area you will find The Golden Beach, which stretches for 3.5 km and is one of the ten longest beaches in the world.
Other famous sights in the Karpas region are donkeys wandering free, and in recent years they have been taken under protection. The other famous sight is sea turtles. You will see Caretta caretta and also Chelonia turtles laying their eggs on Golden Beach. There is now a Turtle protection society in North Cyprus to watch and monitor the nests to make sure no harm comes their way.
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Tags: &, ISKELE, ISKELE & KARPAS, KARPAS, northern cyprus