History is Everywhere in Cyprus
At the Crossroads of Ancient Civilizations and Crusader Routes
Few places the size of Cyprus can claim so many important historic sites representing so many eras and cultures. Its location at the crossroads of three continents and all the Mediterranean civilizations made it a natural stopover – and a natural place to claim as a strategic base.
The island has been claimed and ruled by everyone from the Egyptians and Alexander the Great to the Venetian Republic. Richard the Lion Heart stopped on his way to a crusade in the Holy Land and was married there. More recently the British established bases there – adding English signage (even in grocery stores), a factor that makes Cyprus especially attractive to English-speaking travelers. But throughout all this, Cyprus managed to develop its own distinct culture.
Remains of all these chapters in Cyprus’s long history remain for travelers to admire. Archeological sites are scattered across the island, nearly all of them open to visitors, including remains of a Neolothic village at Choirokoitia. In Nicosia, the Cyprus Museum is a treasure house of Cypriote art and culture from the Neolithic period to the Roman times.
Mosaics at Pafos date to the third and fifth centuries, when villas of three Roman noblemen were floored in intricate inlaid stone designs. These are considered the finest ancient mosaics in the Eastern Mediterranean, with finely detailed depictions of animals, flowers, people and heroes of mythology.
An even more impressive relic of ancient civilization is at Kourion, near Limasol. On a magnificent hilltop overlooking the sea are a Greek theater, Roman villa, and an early Christian basilica, whose columns, walls and mosaic floors remain well enough preserved to show the layout of rooms.
Throughout the island, churches and monasteries are lined with mosaics, frescos and intricate wood carving. St. Nicholas of the Roof is one of nine UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the Troodos mountains, with bright frescos painted a millennium ago. Fifteenth-century icons are framed by an iconostas of fine relief carving in gold, red and blue.
Along with the island history documented by artifacts, art and actual buildings, Cyprus is filled with sites mentioned in Greek mythology, recorded only in the oral history of the island – and beyond. Foremost among these is the spot on the cliffs of Petra Toy Romiou, where Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty (known as Venus to the Romans) sailed onto the shore on her shell. Nearby, the Sanctuary of Aphrodite at Koulia was one of the most important pilgrimage sites in the ancient Greek world. Until the 3rd century, pilgrims came here from all over the Greek diaspora to pay homage to the goddess.
Of course history – documented or mythological – is not the only charm of this Mediterranean island. Beautiful wildflower-scattered landscapes, world-class resorts, dramatic sea cliffs, beaches and an outstanding cuisine round out the experience for travelers.
