The settlement is believed to have been founded by the Eteocyprians and to have flourished and grown. Over time, it played host to the Greeks, the Phoenicians, the Persians, the Ptolemies and the Romans.
Today, the ruins of Amathus include several ancient sites, including several tombs, an acropolis with a 1st century AD Roman temple to Aphrodite, an agora with some public baths and the remains of the 8th century BC palace of Amathus.
The pre-history of Amathus is a mixture of myth and archaeology: humans settled there from the Iron Age around 1100 BC, but the city’s legendary founder was Cinyras who named Amathus after his wife, Amathous. According to Plutarch‘s legend of Ariadne, who was abandoned by Theseus at Amathousa where she died giving birth.
Built onto the coastal cliffs at a natural harbour, Amathus flourished early on, trading with the Greeks in grain and sheep and also boasted a rich copper mine. By the 8th century BC, a palace had been built along with a port and a tophet – a cemetery for Phoenician burials. High on a cliff a temple to Aphrodite was built for Hellenic inhabitants.
A rich and densely populated kingdom, Amathus resisted annexation several times and during the Roman era became the capital of one of the 4 regions of Cyprus. The city’s influence was such that Romans used ‘Amathusia’ generally meaning ‘Cypriot’.
After the 4th century AD, Amathus became a seat of a Christian bishop and today remains a see of the Church of Cyprus.
Today, a new settlement close to Amathus called Agios Tychonas has replaced the ancient city, but the borders of the ruins meet that of the new town. Amathus remains strongly connected with the cult of Aphrodite and was the second most important after her homeland, Paphos. However, excavations have not yet founds the great shrines to these great female figures.
Open all hours of day and night, the ruins atop the hill are worth the climb, particularly to watch them lit up at sunrise and it takes only a little imagination to bring the city’s extensive remains back to life.
Located just off the A1 along the B1 coastal road, Amathus is easily found today by car and multiple buses link the ancient remains to nearby city of Limassol.
]]>Today, visitors can see the remains of Choirokoitia as well as reconstructions of the circular huts which once characterised it.
Located in the district of Larnaka, about 6km from the southern coast of Cyprus, the Neolithic settlement of Choirokoitia lies on the slopes of a hill partly enclosed in a loop of the Maroni River.
The village was occupied from around 7 BC to 5 BC, and represents the Aceramic (no pottery) Neolothic of Cyprus at its peak, and the success of the first human inhabitants of the island in farmers travelling there from the Middle East mainland at the beginning of 9 BC.
The archaeological remains are significant and exceptionally well-preserved. It would have consisted of circular houses built from mudbrick and stone with flat roofs, and walls around it for protection. The design and building of such a site demonstrates collective social effort, with few known parallels known in the Middle East.
A house consisted of several circular buildings equipped with hearths and basins that were arranged around a small central courtyard, where domestic activities took place.
Among the finds of flint and bone tools, stone vessels, vegetal and animal remains, are anthropomorphic figurines in stone, which, together with funeral and death rituals, point to the existence of elaborate beliefs.
Today, five characteristic cylindrical shaped dwellings have been reconstructed near the settlement, using the same materials and construction methods as used during Neolithic times. Visitors can go inside and see replicas of household objects found inside the original dwellings, which provides a very visceral and detailed idea of how the settlement would have appeared.
Similarly, around the settlement is vegetation, fauna, and flora that has grown in Cyprus since Neolithic times.
After looking at the reconstructed houses, visitors can spend a few hours walking around the remains of the original site.
From Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus, the site is reachable in around 45 minutes by car, via the A1.
Public transport is also available – take the Larnaca-Limassol bus and get off at Choirokitia (about 35 minutes from Finikoudes), from where it is only a 5 minute walk to the site.
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Visitors can enter the crypt of the Church of Agios Lazaros to see his reputed tomb as well as those of other buried there.
Used as a mosque during the Ottoman occupation of Cyprus, the Church of Agios Lazaros was then reverted to a church. It has suffered damage over the years, including a devastating fire, but has been restored on different occasions.
The place of Lazarus’ tomb was believed to have been lost under the Arab rule of the island from 649 AD, not found until 890 when the tomb inscribed with ‘Lazarus, four days dead, friend of Christ’ was discovered. The church was built as a long building with 3 aisles and bulky pillars and arches inside.
Then Byzantine emperor, Leo VI, had the holy remains moved to Constantinople in 898, a date that has since been commemorated by the Orthodox Church every year on 17 October. The relics were looted during the Fourth Crusade in the early 13th century, taken back to Marseille and lost.
It was during this period under Frankish and Venetian rule that the church became Roman Catholic, although during the Ottoman rule from 1571 AD, the church was turned into a mosque – its original domes and bell tower already destroyed.
However, because of the church’s Christian cemetery it was returned to the Catholics and remained an Orthodox church for the next 200 years. The 18th century saw the church gain gold-plated Baroque style iconography and some incredible wood-carved furniture.
Sadly, a fire in 1970 damaged most of the interior and during restoration works, human remains were discovered in a marble sarcophagus under the altar – believed to be the remains of the saint.
Today, entry to this millennia-old church is free and accessible by entrance ramp all year round. Visitors can download an audio guide or otherwise wander the church taking in the multiple histories through the patchwork of architectural styles and features.
Afterwards, head over to a Byzantine Museum which offers exhibitions exploring the church’s long history. Otherwise, return in the evening to admire the ornate bell tower and tiled side chapels, lit up from below by soft orange lights.
For those driving, the church is situated just off the B4 and there is a nearby car parking at Ayiou Lazarou, a minute walk away. The church is within walking distance of the Castle Square and promenade, and the Larnaca bus service stops just outside the church.
]]>Kalavasos-Tenta was built during the New Stone Age, dating from 7000 BC on a natural hill. Pre-pottery agriculturalist settlers came to Cyprus between 8000-8600 BC, building round houses with floors of terrazzo of burned lime. Their economy was based on sheep, goats and pigs; their daily lives spent farming, hunting, animal husbandry, while homesteaders wove cloth.
The round walls of Kalavasos-Tenta were built with mudbrick, and built together to form some form of complex surrounded by a stone defensive wall. The site was abandoned in the 6th century BC.
The name of the site refers back to 327 AD when Saint Helena, mother of Constantine I the Roman Emperor first to convert to Christianity, stayed in a tene or ‘tenta’ in the location. Helena’s visit to Cyprus came after the discovery of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem.
Discovered in 1947, Kalavasos-Tenta was excavated by a team from Brandeis University from 1976-1984 under the leadership of Ian Todd. These excavations continued throughout the summers, and were funded by the National Science Foundation in America.
During excavations, a painted red figure with raised hands was found on an internal wall dating to the early 7th century BC, Cyprus’ earliest wall painting. Fourteen human graves were also found containing eighteen people, under the floors of the buildings and in open areas outside. Only a red marble was found in the graves alongside the remains.
Kalavasos-Tenta is covered by a cone-shaped roof, constructed in 1995, which forms a distinctive part of the Cypriot architectural landscape today. Underneath the large tended roof, there is a wooden walkway that allows you to view the top of the ruins. There are a few very informative boards along the walk around the site, with plans detailing the ruin’s original shape and function.
You can view the site for €2.50, but be aware the site is not open at weekends.
Kalavasos-Tenta is located just off the A1, on the main road from Paphos to Limassol, and is accessible via a 50 minute drive from the capital, Nicosia. There is parking on-site opposite the ticket office.
]]>During the Middle Ages, the location of Kolossi held great strategic importance, with the facilities for producing sugar from the local sugarcane – one of Cyprus’ main exports at the time. The first castle built on the site was constructed around 1210 by the Frankish military when King Hugh I of Cyprus and Jerusalem, who gave the land to the Knights Hospitallers.
The Knights were a Catholic military order tasked with protecting the Crusader Kingdom, and under the orders of the Commander of Kolossi, Louis de Magnac, they built an impenetrable 3-storey keep with a square bailey with walls 30-40 metres across. Kolossi Castle features small windows for defence as well as iconic crenellations for archers.
Due to rivalry within the Crusader Kingdom in Cyprus, Kolossi was taken by the Knights Templar in 1306. However, the Templar was disbanded in 1313 and so the fortress returned to the Hospitallers. Since the time of the Crusades, the castle has featured in many works of historical fiction, including ‘La milicia de Dios’ by Spanish author Eduardo García-Ontiveros Cerdeño and ‘Lionheart’ by Stewart Binns.
Today, you can explore the extraordinarily well-preserved Crusader keep at only €2,50 entry. You can climb from the basement all the way to the roof to survey the surrounding area, the same view that would have been enjoyed by Kolossi’s inhabitants over a millennia ago. Also spot the coat of arms on the castle walls belonging to Louis de Magnac.
Visitors should also sample some of the local area’s sweet wine known as Commandaria. The dessert wine is famous after the wedding of Richard the Lionheart married Berengaria of Navarre at nearby Limassol, when the king declared the wine to be “wine of kings and king of wines”.
Driving is the easiest way to reach Kolossi, located just off the B6 linking with the islands main A1 road. The castle is signposted from the motorway so is easily found, and there is space for parking on-site. For those using public transport, there is a bus stop at 1st Apriliou on the B6, a 27 minute walk from the castle.
]]>In fact, it is believed that the site of Kourion was first inhabited during Neolithic times, with the earliest evidence dating back to 4,500-3,900 BC, but that the town itself was founded in the 13th century BC by the Argives.
Over the centuries, Kourion has played important roles in many regional conflicts. During the Cypriot uprising against Persia in the 5th century BC, its king – Stasanor – betrayed his country, lending his support and troops to the Persians. However, Kourion later supported Alexander the Great’s fight against the Persians in the 4th century BC.
Kourion continued to be inhabited throughout the Roman and Byzantine periods, with the establishment of buildings, monuments and other structures from these times still visible today. Perhaps the most memorable site to be seen today at Kourion is its ancient theatre. Still intact and able to seat up to 3,500 spectators, the theatre at Kourion dates back to the second or third century AD, although there would have been a theatre here from the second century BC.
The theatre is not the only thing to see at Kourion. The site includes the remains of a 3rd century AD Roman market which includes some public baths and a Nymphaeum.
Several additional ancient buildings remain, including part of the 4th century AD House of Achilles – thought to have been a reception centre – with its mosaic floors and the third century AD House of the Gladiators, so named because some of its mosaics depict gladiatorial battles. The complex of Eustolios is another fascinating site, this having been an affluent 4th to 5th century private residence in Kourion and including a bathing complex.
Kourion also possesses evidence of early Christianity, both at the complex of Eustolios and by way of its early Christian basilica, a 5th century AD church at the site. Other sites of Kourion include the remains of a stadium and the Sanctuary of Apollo Hylates. However, it is worth noting that these latter two sites are slightly separate from the rest of the archaeological park.
There is a small visitors centre where you can see a scale model of the whole site, which will help orientate your visit.
Kourion is located 19km west of Lemesos on the road towards Pafos. The easiest way to travel there is to drive. There are other interesting attractions nearby such as Kolossi Castle.
]]>Founded in the 4th century BC by Nikokles, the last king of nearby Palaipafos, Nea Pafos then went from strength to strength, particularly under the Ptolemaic kingdom from the 3rd century BC. The city was a stopping point for pilgrims travelling to the shrines of Aphrodite in Old Paphos.
After the founding of Nicosia (today Cyprus’ largest city), Nea Paphos lost much of its standing and declined along with its port throughout the Middle Ages into the Ottoman period.
One of the main remnants of the earliest stages of Nea Paphos – albeit with changes made to it over the centuries – is its ancient theatre, probably built around the time that the city was founded. This was in use until the 5th century AD.
However, the most famous sites at Nea Pafos are its Ancient Roman villas, mostly dating to the 2nd century AD. Amongst them are the House of Dionysos, the House of Orpheus and the Villa of Theseus, all of which have impressive mosaic floors depicting Greek mythological scenes. There are also the remaining foundations of an Agora.
The Byzantine and medieval stages of Nea Paphos are represented by other sites such as the initially 4th century AD Basilica of Chrysopolitissa, later altered and added to in the 6th, 12th and 16th centuries.
Also of interest is the Castle of Forty Columns, a Byzantine fortification known locally as ‘Saranda Kolones’. Constructed in the 7th century AD, this castle is known – and named after – the many granite columns which still remain there today.
Located just behind Paphos Harbour, Nea Paphos is easily found by car just off the B20 from Paphos and there is parking on site. Otherwise the Kato Paphos Bus Station is only a 5 minute walk from the park.
]]>Palaipafos remained a centre of religion and culture until the 4th century BC, when its last king, Nikokles, moved the capital to nearby Nea Paphos. Under the Romans, Palaipafos again became a focal point for culture and religion, then known as “Koinon Kyprion”.
The sites at Palaipafos come from a mix of historic periods including the Late Bronze Age and Ancient Rome. The site includes the ruins of the 2nd century AD Roman House of Leda, so named because its mosaics (housed at the Kouklia Museum) depict a scene from the tale of Leda and the Swan. Also at the site are the remains of the ancient fortifications of Palaipafos, which were originally built in the 8th century BC and some ruins of a 5th century BC building, probably the palace of the Persian governor of Palaipafos, Hadji Abdulla.
Remnants of the medieval period of the history of Palaipafos can also be seen, including the Church of Panagia Katholiki (circa 12th-13th century AD) and the Lusignian Manor House, built as an administrative centre in the 13th century.
The site was partially investigated from the beginning of the 19th century with systematic archaeological research taking place between 1950-55, resuming in 1966.
In September 1980, Palaipafos and Nea Pafos became the first Cypriot sites to be included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The ancient town of Palaipafos is located within the limits of the modern village of Kouklia, situated close to the mouth of Diarizos river, 16 kilometres east of the modern town of Pafos.
A shuttle bus, number 631, runs to and from Kouklia from Kato Paphos Central Bus Station. There is also free parking available at Kouklia Municipal Parking.
]]>At this time, the island needed a new form of defence, its previous fortification – Saranda Kolones – having been devastated by an earthquake. The remains of Saranda Kolones can be seen in nearby Nea Paphos.
However, the Paphos Castle which can be seen today actually dates back to the sixteenth century. Having been captured and altered by the Genoese in the fourteenth century, it later came under the control of the Venetians. Yet, not wanting it to fall into enemy hands, the Venetians actually destroyed Paphos Castle in anticipation of the invasion of the Ottomans, which occurred in 1570.
The Ottomans rebuilt Paphos Castle and this is the site which can be seen at Paphos Harbour today. Visitors can see the dungeons used by the Ottomans during their occupation of the area, the battlements of Paphos Castle, the place where Ottoman soldiers lived and what was once a mosque.
When the British took over Paphos Castle in 1878, they used it as a storage facility for salt until 1935, when it became a national monument.
Currently, Paphos castle is a small rectangular stone structure, consisting of one tower with two floors. The castle is used as a tourist attraction and occasionally has thematic exhibitions. Most recently, the castle serves as the setting for the annual Paphos Outdoor Cultural Festival in September. Several archeological excavations have been carried out to investigate its past.
Paphos castle is located in Kato Paphos, at the end of the city promenade, on the territory adjacent to the port with yachts and fishing boats.
To get to the castle by public transport, reaching the bus station, the Harbour, which is located approximately 600 metres from the castle, you can use routes 603, 603В, 606, 610, 611, 612, 615, 618 or 631.
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