Chapter 10 The Harbor of Famagusta during the Ottoman Period in French Travelogues and Consular Archives
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Abstract
Travelogues and consular archives indicate that during the Ottoman period, merchant vessels mostly abandoned Famagusta as it became a garrison city and its harbor was reserved for the Ottoman fleet. Nevertheless, through the centuries, the harbor continued to offer shelter to Occidental vessels, against the corsairs in the 17th century, against tempests and to refit ships in the 18th and 19th centuries, even if slowly but inexorably it became choked with silt in its inner basin. As Cyprus became the stake of Western nations because of its strategic position in the Mediterranean, Famagusta Harbor drew particular attention for being, as in the past, the safest of all the harbors of the island: French consul Colonna Ceccaldi even proposed a plan to take Cyprus if an opportunity arose, insisting that possession of Famagusta could be achieved without any opposition.