Famagusta ( []; , or ) is a city on the east coast of Cyprus. De facto, it is the capital of the Gazimagusa District of Northern Cyprus. It is located east of Nicosia, and possesses the deepest harbour of the island. During the medieval period (especially under the maritime republics of Genoa and Venice), Famagusta was the island's most important port city, and a gateway to trade with the ports of the Levant, from where the Silk Road merchants carried their goods to Western Europe.