The port of Famagusta, with rail track in foreground between the sea and the city walls.
Maynard Owen Williams, The National Geographic Magazine July 1928.
George Pol. Georghiou
Famagusta Harbour
oil on board
53 x 63 cm
Costas and Rita Severis Collection
Media: image
The Famagusta Port is a natural port which served Cyprus trade since the ancient times and to which man intervened for the first time at the beginning of the 20th century during the British Administration for the purpose of building stone quays. The first phase of the project for converting Famagusta port into a modern port lasted from 1898 to 1905 at a cost of 123.000 pounds.
After that, the stone quays were extended during the second phase which lasted from 1925 to 1933 at a cost of 161.030 pounds and reached 550m. For many years these quays operated together with a wooden pier of 100m length which was constructed in 1921, offering roadstead to 74 shipping miles.
The outer harbour i.e. the new Famagusta harbour was constructed after Cyprus was declared a Republic and was turned over for use in 1966 over doubling the length of the quays to 1195m.
The old port (inner harbour) of Famagusta was connected to the outer harbour via an entry (opening) cut through the ancient walls of Famagusta when access to the port became impossible through the old town as a result of intercommunal strife.
