Blue House

Located in the foothills of the Kyrenia Mountains near the village of Çamlıbel, west of Kyrenia, the Blue House is one of Northern Cyprus's most mysterious, fascinating, and legend-filled historical structures. Built in 1957 by Paulo Paolides, an Italian-origin Greek lawyer, arms dealer, and advisor to Makarios, the mansion draws attention with its architecture that is completely hidden from the valley when viewed from the outside. Designed by Paolides both to live a life of luxury and indulgence and to secretly conduct his dark arms trade, this building was used as one of the Middle East's largest arms smuggling centers. The 2-story and 16-room Blue House is fascinating with its extraordinary details, such as technology far ahead of its time, an acoustic dining room, steam baths, secret escape tunnels, chameleon-skin covered armchairs, and a massive milk pool. After Paolides fled through the secret tunnels during the 1974 Cyprus Peace Operation, the building came under the control of the Turkish Armed Forces and is currently open to visitors as a military museum, which can be toured with guided tours.