FOURTH FORTRESS: You're inside and can look around you... (360º)

DutchCrusader



Joined: 19/05/2008
Posts: 11280

Message Posted:
23/04/2011 12:45

In every tourist handbook of Cyprus or when learning the history of the island you are always told about the three castles of the northern ridge, Kantara, Buffavento and St. Hilarion. The mysterious “Fourth Castle“ or more precise the “Fourth Fortress”, in the Kyrenia Mountains, nor far away from St Hilarion castle, is a fortress that no one ever mentions. A fortress is defined as follows: a fortified place with a long-term military presence - often including a town or village, but the latter has not yet been proven in this case. The word Fortress originates from the 14th century, in medieval French it’s referred to as forteresse which means "strong place". In Latin it is fortis, or "strong".

But we know very little with any certainty about the "Forgotten Fourth Fortress"...

Enter the fortress, step inside and look around you from a centered place:

▶ [ http://is.gd/M2gMTp/Forgotten_Fourth_Fortress_inside_360º ] © Bo de Visser, Holland

DutchCrusader



Joined: 19/05/2008
Posts: 11280

Message Posted:
23/04/2011 12:52

Forgot to add: be patient when the 360º movie downloads!

You can play with the buttons at the bottom of the picture to navigate to the left, right, up and down. And you can zoom in and out for a closer look wherever you want.

Put your cursor on the picture, keep your mouse button pressed and see what you can do...

Woodspeckie


Joined: 25/01/2009
Posts: 2263

Message Posted:
23/04/2011 12:58

Hans. Is this "Fortress" easy to get to? if so can you give directions please. It's a wonderful movie, thanks.

DutchCrusader



Joined: 19/05/2008
Posts: 11280

Message Posted:
23/04/2011 13:20

@ msg 3, Woodspeckie: There's much more to see along the road from St Hilarion castle to the Kozan restaurant than an abandoned Turkish, US made, battle tank of 1974...

Exactly 6,7 km from St. Hilarion -- on your left hand -- you’ll see a rocky path leading to the Forgotten fourth Fortress, which at this point is invisible from the road...

West of the nearby peak Prophitis Elias (888 meters high) was a church on a hilltop dedicated to the saint Elias. This has long since been destroyed, probably because it was also a pre-74 location for a Greek Cypriot National Guard posting, possibly the 251:st infantry. A concrete foundation base – possibly a bunker - with typical army coat-of-arms painted on it is still visible.

This map may help you to find and visit this fascinating "Forgotten Fourth Fortress" (Prophiis Elias Tower):

▶ [ http://www.allcrusades.com/BB_pics/160.jpg ]

DutchCrusader



Joined: 19/05/2008
Posts: 11280

Message Posted:
23/04/2011 13:24

@ msg 3, Woodspeckie: Here are two more, detailed location maps:

▶ [ http://www.allcrusades.com/BB_pics/165.jpg ]

▶ [ http://www.allcrusades.com/BB_pics/155.jpg ]

DutchCrusader



Joined: 19/05/2008
Posts: 11280

Message Posted:
23/04/2011 13:27

And if you'd like to read all that's known about the Forgotten Fourth Fortress:

▶ [ http://www.cyprusdownload.nl/mcf/ch_002_FFF/ch-txt-002.html ]

Clarissa2


Joined: 12/06/2009
Posts: 1476

Message Posted:
23/04/2011 13:52

Re: Msg 1,



Yet another amazing 360° panorama.

Especially I love the double effect of the beautiful mountain landscape seen through the embrasure in the wall!



My thanks to Bo and Hans.



Re : Msg5&6,



Dear DC, I have been intrigued by the the Fourth Fortress since I'd read about it on your website

( it is absolutely impossible to find any information about it anywhere else).

I would love to explore it and the surrounding area.

Many thanks for providing the map, otherwise I would never have been able to find it!





Clarissa

Woodspeckie


Joined: 25/01/2009
Posts: 2263

Message Posted:
23/04/2011 13:58

Many thanks Hans, we will certainly take a look on our next visit.

DutchCrusader



Joined: 19/05/2008
Posts: 11280

Message Posted:
23/04/2011 14:36

@ msg 7, Clarissa2: (...) ( it is absolutely impossible to find any information about it anywhere else). (...)

▶ Indeed, the Forgotten Fourth Fortress is afaik not mentioned once in any medieval book from (the first one: 1220). George Jeffery however, in his 1918 "Historic Monuments of Cyprus", in the chapter "Kyrenia to Myrtou" (page 318-319, re-issued in London in 1983) wrote when mentioning Karaman (Karmi):



"In the forest above the village are ruins of a watchtower which may have been the signalling station between St. Hilarion castle and Nicosia, the spot is still called "Pyrokremnos".



I wonder if Jeffery only rendered what the villagers told him without checking the exact whereabouts of these ruins because:



Pyrokremnos appears on some maps as a hillock on the slopes closer to llgaz (Phterykha) then Karmi (Karaman) but in fact a watchtower there could not relay any signals to or from Nicosia, simply because it is below the summit of the range and the north slope. (m

DutchCrusader



Joined: 19/05/2008
Posts: 11280

Message Posted:
23/04/2011 14:41

(continued)



Such a beacon would more likely have been placed on the summit just over the valley in front of St. Hilarion in order to communicate with Nicosia. Unfortunately I have not been able to check if remains of a beacon or small signal tower can be found there – the area belongs to a training ground of the Turkish Army.



Interesting also: On some maps FFF is located and named "Prophitis Eliasis Tower". The Saint Elias appears nearly all over the orthodox world, always connected with a mountain and a cave. It seems that this building has been named this way – the time in history is unknown - because there is a peak, “Prophitis Elias” and a cave nearby. On a sketch of Lord Kitchener’s map - on a smaller scale (1:2500) than the original map and surveyed by the Department of Land and Surveys in 1919 - it is marked simply "Hisar", which means castle or fortress. (more)

DutchCrusader



Joined: 19/05/2008
Posts: 11280

Message Posted:
23/04/2011 14:43

(continued)



But it has to be someone else, not Kitchener, who did this, because on the original map (ca 1878-1882) – a copy is in my possession - “Hisar” cannot be found! So probably Kitchener also did not know anything about this place!



Questions, questions, questions..!

DutchCrusader



Joined: 19/05/2008
Posts: 11280

Message Posted:
23/04/2011 20:33

Reply to email from Mr. Barry West and wife: No, I haven't done any tour of the "Forgotten Fourth Fortress" (the fortress, the cave, the spring etc) yet, but if there are about eight people interested I'll be pleased to organise a tour on Sunday or any other day. Let met know if you're interested via mcf.trnc@gmail.com .

Clarissa2


Joined: 12/06/2009
Posts: 1476

Message Posted:
23/04/2011 20:41

Re : Msg12,



I'm interested very much in the tour to the fortress too ( in any language )!