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The castle of Myrina – Building-Witnesses

The steep rocky peninsula, connected to the mainland only from the east, was the ideal place to build the castle of Myrina. The traces of the cyclopean walls testify to the existence of an ancient acropolis, dating back to the 13th century BC.

144 acres of land extend within the Castle and are enclosed by a triple wall. 14 towers of various shapes dominate different sections of the castle and, apart from the central one, there is another small gateway in the northern section, near the coast.

On the battlements we see arrow-slits, rifle-pits and murder-holes (stone cavities filled with hot oil, molten lead or even boiling water to pour over the enemy from above), as well as bastions for placing cannons. The highest defensive position was the citadel, which was protected by a separate enclosure. Today, a partially-destroyed fortress building with multiple interior spaces can be found there. From 1479, when the Castle of Myrina came under Ottoman occupation, until the liberation of the island in 1912, buttresses were added to the main gate and cannon ports on the sea side. An Ottoman mosque, barracks, powder magazine, shelter and houses, as well as the documented presence of an Ottoman cemetery confirm that there was a Muslim settlement within the walls.

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