kantara is situated on an altitude of above sea level. the castle is surrounded by ridges of barren granite and sandstone bedrock which were used as the main building materials for the castle's construction. the materials were subjected to coarse masonry; most of the buildings are coated with thick layers of plaster to cover the poor quality of the materials. doors, windows and quoins were transported from elsewhere. the lack of local water sources necessitated the collection of rainwater through the use flat roofs which were connected to the cisterns through a drainage system. among the six cisterns used the largest stood outside the walls. buildings contained bread ovens and perhaps even a mill.