In 1571, the population of Limassol was around 800. Local accounts describe their first encounter with the Ottoman army as follows:
According to Archimandrite Kyprianos, during the third year of Sultan Selim II’s reign, the Sultan resumed hostilities against the Venetians and assembled a large fleet of 300 vessels, both large and small. Among these were two massive ships taken from the Venetians, previously anchored in Constantinople. On April 3rd, the fleet set out for war. The campaign was led by three pashas: Piali Pasha, Mustafa Pasha, and Ali Pasha.
Piali Pasha initially targeted the island of Tinos but failed to capture it. He then retreated to Chios, where he rejoined the other commanders. Together, they continued to Rhodes, then to Phoenicia (Fenice), and by June had arrived in Cyprus. Upon reaching Limassol, the Ottomans anchored offshore, set fire to the town, and burned it to the ground. They then advanced to Larnaca, where they disembarked their army, plundered the surrounding villages, and loaded the loot onto their ships.
Kyprianos adds that after burning Limassol, the Ottoman forces moved toward the village of Polemidia, where they encountered Pallipietro (also known as Vincenzo Malipietro), the Venetian captain of Paphos. He drove them back, captured two Turkish soldiers alive, and collected what he described as "two loads of heads," which he impaled on spears and brought to Nicosia.
The Dominican monk Angelo Calepio, who was in Cyprus during the invasion, confirms this account. He reports that Malipietro, the vice-captain of Paphos, confronted the Ottoman forces in Limassol, took two captives, and amassed numerous severed heads. This gruesome spectacle inspired courage among the locals, who emerged from hiding, returned to their villages and the coastline, and shouted from the walls of Nicosia, “Success to St. Mark by land and by sea!”
In contrast, the diary of the Turkish fleet’s secretary, Lala Mustafa Safet, provides a different perspective. According to him, the Ottomans reached the castle of Limassol on the 28th of the month. The residents had already fled. The army disembarked, looted the town, and spent the night there. On the following day, Monday the 29th of Muharrem, they reached the port of Larnaca in the afternoon.
While in Limassol, a notable event occurred: Zaim Ahmet Bey pursued an infidel on horseback while on foot. He managed to catch up to him, disarmed him, and was rewarded with 3,000 akçe for his bravery.
© Costas and Rita Severis Foundation
