Othello Tower - 5 minutes to Salamis Bay Conti Resort Hotel

At the Salamis Bay Conti Resort Hotel, you’re just a few minutes drive from the former home of a legendary Shakespearian character, Othello.

The jealous Moor in the famous play was based on a real life resident of the city of Famagusta. Francesca de Sessa was originally from Venice, but his dark skin earned him the nickname of ‘Il Moro’. He was exiled from Cyprus in 1544, but today, Othellos’ Tower is a definite ‘must-see’ on your North Cyprus holiday.

Othello’s Tower in Famagusta is actually not a just tower but a castle, set into the impressive defensive walls that encircle the old city. Originally known as the Citadel, from here the city walls form a ring around the city, guarded at every strategic point by a tower, or bastion. 

The Citadel, or Othello’s Tower in Famagusta, was built to defend the harbour below, and the Sea Gate that allowed passage from the harbour into the city. Since 1974, this gate has been closed, so today you enter Othello’s Tower via the city-side entrance, via an archway crowned with a stone Venetian lion.

Inside, the Citadel begins to look like the defensive stronghold it once was, with cannons still standing ready for action in the castle courtyard. The large stone balls that lie in piles were used in large siege catapults. Across the courtyard lies the magnificent Great Hall, with high slit windows and a kitchen at the far end. You can almost imagine the hall filled with Othello’s welcoming party, feasting and drinking.

If all that makes you feel hungry, then within a few minutes drive you can be enjoying a meal at one of the two fine restaurants at the Salamis Bay Conti Resort Hotel. Ladies, just don’t lose your napkin if your partner is the jealous type...