Roundup: Restored famed Othello Tower to reopen after 11-month facelift work

The Mediaeval Othello Tower, the fictional setting of Shakespeare's "Othello" drama, will be reopened to visitors in July after undergoing restoration and renovation the last 11 months, officials said on Wednesday.

The Tower is part of the mediaeval fortress which contains the traditional Turkish Cypriot quarter of Famagusta, overlooking the city's port.

Like other cultural and religious heritage buildings within the part of Cyprus controlled by Turkey, in response to a coup by Greek army officers, it has fallen victim to neglect for long.

But as tension eased over the years and the Greek and Turkish Cypriot community embarked on an effort to reunify the eastern Mediterranean island, a joint committee was set up to look after the cultural heritage of both communities.

Its work has become a symbol of both the desire and the will of the Greek and Turkish Cypriots communities to be reunited in a federal state.

With funding from the United Nations Development program several projects of restoration have been undertaken by joint teams. Othello Tower is the first important project to be completed.

Members of the joint restoration committee hosted a tour for journalists on Wednesday to show them the result of the restoration work ahead of its official reopening.

Fittingly enough, it will be inaugurated with a performance of Shakespeare's drama by young actors from both communities.

According to the myth, the Venetian governor of the City of Famagusta, Moor general Othello, was driven into a rage of jealousy by his treacherous adviser Iago over the supposed infidelity of his new bride Desdemona and smothered her to death inside the Tower. He took his own life when he realized his mistake.

The Famagusta fortress, of which the Tower is the most imposing part, was initially built by French Lusignan conquerors returning from the Crusades in the 14th century. They were succeeded in the 15th century by the Venetians who redesigned and expanded the fortress.

Their emblem, the winged Lion of St. Mark, is still perched over its main portal.

The Turkish Cypriots living inside the walled city are the descendants of Ottoman soldiers who occupied the city in the 16th century.

A few hundred meters from the Othello Tower and the city's port lies the modern Greek part of Famagusta, also known as Varosha, which was fenced off by the stationed army after its inhabitants fled as the Turkish air force bombed the city.

"This is part of the common heritage of the two communities," said Glafcos Constantinides, a member of the bi-communal team which oversees restoration work of monuments.

"We have a common heritage, but we are expecting to also build a common future," he added.

The Othello Tower was a magnet for tourists before the Turkish army controlled the city and is expected to regain its past glamor if Greek and Turkish Cypriot politicians succeed in reunifying the country.

Restoration workers had to innovate ways to prevent more damage to the structure.

"Our main challenge was the fact that the sandstone from which the complex is built absorbs water like a sponge," Fatma Terlik, the contract manager of the project said.

She explained that a special drainage system was installed and parts of the walls which decayed away over the years were restored. Endit