Famagusta City Wall-Canbulat Bastion

The origins of the defensive structures in Famagusta date back to the early 13th century, when kings of the House of Lusignan had the first protective facilities built for the port city. Later, kings such as Henri II, Hugues IV, and Pierre II advanced the expansion of the defenses until the Genoese took power in 1373. Under Genoese rule, which lasted until 1464, the city walls were completed. The walls and bastions received their current form largely under Venetian administration, which took place in the late 15th and first half of the 16th centuries. The Canbulat Bastion is linked to a legend: In the summer of 1571, during the Ottoman siege of Famagusta, the officer Canbulat Bey is said to have destroyed a Venetian defensive machine in a suicidal act, thereby clearing the way for the advancing Ottoman troops. He was buried on the bastion's grounds, and his tomb is now a pilgrimage site for Turkish Cypriots. The round tower, heavily damaged in battle, was restored by the Ottomans. Originally known as the “Torrione del Arsenale,” it marked the southern end of the harbor wall and protected a ship repair yard.

The Canbulat Bastion is situated at an elevation of approximately 7 meters above sea level.

The Canbulat Bastion houses a small museum. The tomb of Canbulat Bey is a pilgrimage site. The arched passage, the “Water Gate,” through which ships were once pulled into the shipyard, is still preserved.