Paphos Castle is located at the entrance to the bay of the old port of Paphos. The word "castle" is not quite suitable for this structure, it is better to call it the Paphos Fort. Real medieval castles are preserved only in Northern Cyprus, for example, the Castle of St. Hilarion or the Kyrenian Castle.
The castle in Paphos was first built in the 12th century by order of Guy de Lusignan, but then it was located on the territory of the old town of Kato Paphos, 200 meters from the sea. That citadel was called Castle Saranta Colones, which means the Castle of the Forty Columns. For the medieval period, it was a powerful fortification, but it was destroyed by a powerful earthquake in 1222. This castle in its former place was not restored.
The new castle was built in the 14th century at the entrance to the harbor of Paphos. It withstood a Genoese siege in 1373, but the main battles for Cyprus were fought on the eastern shore. After the fall of Famagusta, the defense of Paphos had no sense anymore. The Genoese invaded Cyprus and the siege of the Paphos castle were suspended.
The Venetians did the same in 1571, when their war with the Turks for the possession of Cyprus was nearing its end. The main fighting again took place in Famagusta. Its siege lasted almost a year. The defense of Paphos initially made no sense, and the Venetians completely destroyed the Paphos Castle in 1570, so that it would not fall to the Turks.
The Turks restored the Paphos castle in 1592, but in the form of a fort designed for defense against artillery. It was originally designed so that the fort could be used for other needs: a warehouse, a prison, a barracks for soldiers, etc.
In 1935, the Paphos Castle was made a museum and, together with other monuments of Archaeological park of Kato Paphos, was included in the UNESCO list of historical Heritage. The Aphrodite Opera Festival is held annually at its walls.
