They have accordingly
neglected much of the nearer portion, and have excavated a large square,
always pushing forward towards the west, which is now terminated by a
worked perpendicular face and a series of steps incomplete, precisely as
it remained when the last chisel relinquished the labour.
This quality of rock in all parts of Cyprus is cavernous, and the
natural caves have suggested to the ancients an artificial extension
both for dwellings and for cemeteries. The rock is easily worked by the
mason's pick, and near the town I observed an old fort-ditch which had
been originally excavated for the double object of quarrying building
stone at the same time that it served the purpose of defence. There
would be no great difficulty in connecting the ancient quarry with the
harbour by cutting a canal through the soft rock and extending the depth
of the ancient excavations. It is well known to all quarrymen that the
stone should be placed in a building according to the position in which
it lay when forming the original rock. Within the fortress of Kyrenia
there are many examples of neglect, where the masons have either
inverted or placed the stones sideways, in which case the action of the
weather has completely honey-combed and reduced the material to an
appearance of decayed coral. I observed instances of similar neglect
with the same results in portions of the fortress of Famagousta.
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