In one of the round towers of Kyrenia, in a Koulas, as they are locally known, an Ottoman dignitary kept his harem. Many beautiful women were seen coming and going from the tower to go on short walks under the vigilant eyes of black eunuchs.
One evening, a young man spotted a beautiful African slave with whom he fell madly in love. He would secretly enter the tower at night and spend hours with her exchanging declarations of love.
However, the woman suffered as her lover would never meet with her outside the tower or in public. She assumed it was because she was black. So, she prayed to Allah to give her whiter skin. Allah told her to bathe in the waters of a cove in Kyrenia, and so she did. Gradually her skin changed colour and became white.
But alas! Her lover did not like her new appearance, preferring her as she was. And so, he abandoned her and found someone else. One night, in her desperation, she escaped from the tower and jumped into the cold waters of the cove, drowning herself. Since then, she was known as the Black Hetaira of Kyrenia and people would say that they often saw her at the edge of the cove ready to take the plunge.
© Costas and Rita Severis Foundation
