Kantara Ekato ena spitia (a hundred and one houses)

English, as on the record

Edmont Duthoit was a French draftsman from Amiens who came to Cyprus as a member of the second French mission to Phoenicia organized by Viollet-le-Duc. The mission consisted of Count De Vogue, Henri William Widdington and Edmonmt Duthoit and visited Cyprus in 1862 and 1865. Duthoit made more that three hundred sketches of Cyprus and was particularly fascinated by the Gothic monuments on the island. Inscribed ‘Καντάρα, εκατο ενα σπιτιά’ ‘Kantara, 101 houses’, the title reminds us of the myth of one chamber in all these castles on the Kyrenia mountain range containing a massive treasure, hidden there by previous owners. This is one reason why these monuments were pulled apart by the villagers in the area who were searching for the treasure. These castles were also regarded as the home of the mythical Queen of Cyprus who, according to various stories, found refuge in the castles.

Inscription, as transcribed by CVAR

Inscribed: Καντάρα. εκατο ενα σπιτιά [Kantara one hundred and one houses.]