Buffavento Castle was built during the Byzantine period and its main purpose was to protect the island against Arab attacks. The castle, located on the Çatalköy ridge of the city of Kyrenia, is approximately 950 meters above sea level and is located on the windiest hill of the Cyprus peninsula. It takes its name from this hill, which is famous for its harsh winds. Buffavento means defying the wind.
The exact date the castle was built is not known and its name was first mentioned in history during the time of Richard the Lionheart. Buffavento Castle, one of the most difficult castles to reach on the Cyprus peninsula, was used as a prison between 1382-1398 and was called the Lion's Castle at that time. Later, during the Venetians who took over the castle in 1489, the castle in question lost its importance and other coastal castles gained importance in the defense of the island of Cyprus.
Buffavento Castle also consists of two different sections. These sections are known as the lower and upper castles. The lower castle has an entrance called an arched entrance and opens to rooms used as dormitories and provisions. The upper castle has door and room arches made of red brick in the Byzantine style. When you look from the castle to the south, you can see the magnificent view of the Troodos mountains and the city of Nicosia very clearly. Buffavento Castle is located approximately 13 km from the city center and can be reached in approximately 1.5 hours by climbing the slope of the castle. When you look from the north side of the castle after the south side, you can also come across a wonderful visual, especially in cloudy weather.
There are many known stories about Buffavento Castle. One of them is the Rock Bridge, which is located approximately 100 meters below and on the left side of the road on the way from the castle to Tashkent. According to a belief, whatever you wish for while passing under this bridge will come true.
One of the legends about the castle is that the Buffavento Castle has 100 gates and the person who found the 101st Gate got lost after entering through this gate.