Last May I visited North Cyprus for the seventh time. I am kind of a usual pilgrim of Cyprus 🙂 Whenever I visit this beautiful island I try to see and explore different parts of it. This time, though, I found out about some interesting facts about the island and wanted to share them with you. Here are some of the less known facts about Northern Cyprus.
Did you know that
- The castle of Princess Snow White by Walt Disney is inspired by St. Hilarion Castle in North Cyprus
- There are around 1000 wild donkeys living freely in the Rizokarpaso National Park
- %97 of the ancient Salamis City is sunk under the sand and sea
- The world oldest shipwreck, Kyrenia Ship (B.C. 300) is on exhibit in Kyrenia Castle
- The oldest tree of the island, called Cümbez (Ficus Sycomorus) is 713 years old and is in the garden of Lala Mustafa Paşa Camii (Saint Nicholas Cathedral)
- The loggerhead sea turtles  of Mediterranean which are under the risk of extinction visit the shores of Cyprus to lay their eggs between May and September each year
- Medoş Tulip (Tulipa Cypria), Kıbrıs Orchid (Ophris Kotchi)  and 19 other type of plants are indigenous to Northern Cyprus
- Famous British writer Lawrance Durell lived in Bellapais village between 1953-56 and wrote his book “Bitter Lemons of Cyprus” during his stay
- Mark Anthony (Marcus Antonius) who was the general of the Ancient Roman Emperor Julius Ceasar gave Cyprus as a gift to Cleopatra, the queen of Egypt as a symbol of his love.
- The kings of Lusignan wore the crown of the Cyprus Kingdom in Saint Sophia Cathedral (Selimiye Mosque) and the symbolic crown of the Jerusalem Kingdom in Saint Nicholas Catedral (Lala Mustafa Paşa Mosque)
- The flag of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus on the south hillside of the BeĹźparmak Mountains which is 450×225 metres wide is the biggest painted and lighted-up flag in the world
- 374 different type of birds can be observed on the island mainly because it is located on the migration route of birds. Cyprus Wheater and Cyprus Warbler are the endemic birds of Cyprus
- About 125 cultural, art activities and festivals are held in Northern Cyprus each year
- A very popular and well-known cocktail of the island is called “Brandy Sour” which was first made for the Egypt King Faruk during his visit in 1947
- 104-year-old woman Margaret Mckenzie Mc Alpine did paragliding from St.Hilarion Castle and gained a Guinness World Record