Analyzing the Entrances of Churches in Famagusta Walled City

<div> The abundance of the churches and cathedrals in Famagusta Walled City indicates the importance of religion in </div> <div> Cyprus. During the history, different people with different cultures and religious clusters have immigrated and lived </div> <div> in Famagusta and constructed their own religious buildings like churches and cathedrals. After the Ottoman Empire, </div> <div> some of these churches and cathedrals converted to mosques, and some changes have happened in their interior and </div> <div> plans. Some of these changes are related to the entrances of the churches due to different beliefs of people. For </div> <div> Christians the apse is always on the east side of the church because they believe that Jesus will rise from the east, so </div> <div> the entrance of the church is mainly on the west, north or the south elevation. Similarly, in Famagusta most of the </div> <div> churches have doors in three directions; west, north, and south. On the other hand, for Muslims, the direction of the </div> <div> Qibla is important in the mosques; so the entrance of the mosques which were converted from churches cannot be on </div> <div> the south and east directions in Famagusta. Because in Famagusta the direction of Qibla is between the south-east and </div> <div> south directions. This paper aims to identify and compare the different directions of entrances used in churches and </div> <div> cathedrals in Famagusta Walled City. The methodology used in this historical research for analyzing the direction of </div> <div> the main entrances of the churches is a comparative one. The results of this paper are useful for the architects, </div> <div> historians, researchers interested in the field of conservation, and also architectural students fond of historic buildings </div> <div> and ancient urban sites. </div>