Saranta Kolones Fortress

Saranta Kolones, Greek for Forty Columns, is a ruined medieval castle in Paphos Archaeological Park, close to the harbour in Kato Paphos on the south-west coast of Cyprus. The name comes from the many granite columns that were once used in the structure, taken from the ancient buildings of Nea Paphos. The fortress was probably built in the 7th century during the Byzantine period, when Arab raids made the defence of the Cypriot coast a priority, and it was rebuilt and extended under the Lusignans, the Frankish dynasty that ruled the island from 1192. Its design has a square plan with corner towers, a surrounding moat and a thick curtain wall, and it is believed to have had an inner keep with a second ring of defences. A severe earthquake in 1222 destroyed the castle, and it was abandoned and never rebuilt. The Lusignans later fortified the harbour with a different structure, which is now the Paphos Castle on the quay. The ruins today consist of low sections of the curtain wall, parts of the corner towers, vaulted rooms, a few granite and marble columns and the outline of the moat. Archaeologists from the Cyprus Department of Antiquities have worked on the site since the 20th century, and the remains stand within the larger UNESCO-listed Paphos site. The site is displayed as an open-air ruin without a museum, so visitors learn about its history from information boards in English. The ruins are partly consolidated but still show the effects of the earthquake, with fallen masonry and broken stonework visible on the ground. It makes a short and atmospheric stop on a circuit of the park that links the harbour, the mosaic houses and the Odeon.