There is less to be seen than to be felt… The ruins of the Palace of Vouni have a mystic kind of feeling to them. The views from its hilltop position over the bay of Güzelyurt and the Troodos Mountains are spectacular. Built around 480 BC by the pro-Persian king of Marion as an outpost in order to intimidate and control the pro- Athenian citizen of the city of Soli below, Vouni is the only structure of the Persian period that survives in North Cyprus.
Tip: we recommend walking from the bottom of the hill to the site on top. The view changes around each turn and you can observe interesting geological layers and features right next to the road.
Story: The palace was destroyed by fire after 80 years after being build. During the Swedish excavation of the site, an amphora blackened through the fire and filled with gold ducats, was found under one of the stairwells leading to the now none existent first floor of the building.