Steep Climb, Rewarding Peak
As the name implies, this castle is buffeted by the winds, and is how it derived its Italian name ‘Defier of the Winds’.
Standing at 940 metres overlooking the Mesarya Plains, it is the highest and most inaccessible of the three castles.
Buffavento stands between St. Hilarion Castle to the west and Kantara Castle to the east forming a protective axis in the Kyrenia mountain range. As both of the other castles are visible from Buffavento, it was used to pass signals between them.
Little is known about this castle’s early history. In medieval times, it was known as the Castle of the Lion, when Richard the Lionheart took it from the daughter of Byzantine emperor Isaak Komninos in 1191. The Lusignans later used it as a prison and a beacon tower, connecting both other castles. In the 14th century, the island came under the control of the Republic of Venice, at which time the castle fell into disuse.
The castle is divided into two sections: the lower enceinte, fortified defensive enclosure, and the upper enceinte which occupies a smaller area on the rocky peak. Built in such a way that no fortifications other than its outer walls were needed, the castle’s naturally guarded location has only one entrance approach.
Although it has deteriorated more than the other castles, its’ surviving towers and walls have an ambience of lingering grandeur topped off by the dizzying views sweeping downwards over the forested slopes.
Prominently signposted as ‘Buffavento Kalesi’ off the Beşparmak Pass, it’s a 15-minute drive along the uphill road to the parking area below the castle where there is a solitary olive tree and a memorial to the crew of an aircraft that perished in a mountaintop crash in 1988.
From here it’s a steep but gradual walk that takes about 20 minutes. Closed footwear is advised as you embark on the 600 steps to the top. As with the other two castles the terrain is rich in flora, and if you are lucky to hear the call of buzzards and ravens in flight as they circle the castle top, this will make the climb totally rewarding.
Gallery
