Covering both the North and the South of Cyprus with equal detail and objectivity, this guide includes features on the island's turbulent history and current politics. It provides accounts of the island's attractions, from the popular beach resorts to the remote hillside villages, and reviews of the best places to eat, drink and sleep for every budget.

The Rough Guide to Cyprus is the definitive guide to this alluring, sun-drenched island. Illustrated throughout with striking full-colour photographs, the guide offers detailed background on everything from the holiday playgrounds of Agia Napa and Pafos to off-the-beaten-track mountain hikes and vineyard tours. Crystal clear maps help you explore both north and south sides of the island, with full information on border crossings and day-trip suggestions. Detailed listings review everything from boutique hotels to youth hostels while our unrivalled contextual background gives you the inside track on Cypriot history plus full accounts of all the sights from stunning Byzantine churches to Roman temples, Ottoman mosques to Venetian forts. Make the most of your time with The Rough Guide to Cyprus. Now available in PDF format.

There was a time seven centuries ago when Famagusta's wealth and renown could be compared to that of Venice or Constantinople. The Cathedral of St Nicholas in the main square of Famagusta, serving as the coronation place for the Crusader Kings of Jerusalem after the fall of Acre in 1291, symbolised both the sophistication and permanence of the French society that built it. From the port radiated impressive commercial activity with the major Mediterranean trade centres, generating legendary wealth, cosmopolitanism, and hedonism, unsurpassed in the Levant. These halcyon days were not to last, however, and a 15th century observer noted that, following the Genoese occupation of the city, 'a malignant devil has become jealous of Famagusta'. When Venice inherited the city, it reconstructed the defences and had some success in revitalising the city's economy. But the end for Venetian Famagusta came in dramatic fashion in 1571, following a year long siege by the Ottomans. Three centuries of neglect followed which, combined with earthquakes, plague and flooding, left the city in ruins. The essays collected in this book represent a major contribution to the study of Medieval and Renaissance Famagusta and its surviving art and architecture and also propose a series of strategies for preserving the city's heritage in the future. They will be of particular interest to students and scholars of Gothic, Byzantine and Renaissance art and architecture, and to those of the Crusades and the Latin East, as well as the Military Orders. After an introductory chapter surveying the history of Famagusta and its position in the cultural mosaic that is the Eastern Mediterranean, the opening section provides a series of insights into the history and historiography of the city. There follow chapters on the churches and their decoration, as well as the military architecture, while the final section looks at the history of conservation efforts and assesses the work that now needs to be done.