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Local Tourist Information |
Capital of the West and positively teeming with history is Pafos, site of the island's second international airport. The resort town has as its focal point a charming fishing harbour by Pafos Fort, lined with open-air cafés and tavernas that serve a tempting menu of the day's fresh catch. Cyprus History: It was on Pafos shoreline that the mythological Goddess Aphrodite was born, a legend that spawned a massive wave of cult worship from neighbouring countries that lasted several centuries. The large rock that juts from the sea is known as `Petra Tou Romiou' - The Venus Rock - while the Baths of Aphrodite at Polis and the 'Fontana Amorosa' - Fountain of Love - also echo her apparent penchant for the island. At Kouklia lie the remains of the Goddess' earliest Sanctuary. Another 'first' for Pafos was its early recognition of Christianity. While under Roman rule in 45 A.D., it was here that Saint Paul converted the first ruler to the faith. The legacy from its remarkable history adds up to nothing less than an open museum, so much so that UNESCO simply added the whole town to its World Cultural Heritage List. Among the treasures unearthed, are the remarkable mosaics in the Houses of Dionysos, Theseus and Aion, beautifully preserved after 16 centuries under the soil. Then there are the mysterious vaults and caves, the Tombs of the Kings, the Pillar to which Saint Paul was allegedly tied and whipped, the ancient Odeon Theatre and other places of interest including the Byzantine Museum and the District Archaeological Museum. Geroskipou,(Yeroskipou) with its remarkable five-domed Byzantine church of Agia Paraskevi, and its Folk Art Museum is a village known for many years now for its special delight `loukoumi'. Agios Neofytos Monastery, famous for its `Encleistra', Enclosure, carved out of the mountain by the hermit himself, boasts some of the finest Byzantine frescoes of the l2th and l5th centuries. Chrysorrogiatissa Monastery makes its own range of wines using homegrown grapes. A small museum dedicated to Archbishop Makarios, first president of Cyprus, is found at Pano Panagia. From here it is a rewarding drive to the majestic Cedar Valley, home of the indigenous Cyprus horned sheep, the moufflon. Lempa village can be singled out as one with particular historic significance. In its pretty setting near the sea, Lempa's link with prehistory is the site of a chalcolithic settlement. Today the faithful reconstruction of several dwellings, gives an insight into chalcolithic life on the island. Further north lies a quiet resort, Polis, overlooking the beautiful Chrysochou Bay with its charming fishing refuge of Latsi. The low-lying scenery around Pafos, much of it cultivated with banana plantations and backed by the foothills of the western Troodos range, has an attractively open quality to it. This is the gateway to the Peninsula of Akamas, a natural wilderness of incredible beauty with breathtaking gorges, spectacular coastlines and enjoyable nature trails The whole town of Pafos is included in the official UNESCO list of cultural and natural treasures of the world heritage. Wherever one treads in Pafos one comes across its glorious history which dates back thousands of years, when the cult of goddess Aphrodite who emerged from its seas, flourished in this beautiful part of the world attracting many visitors from inland and abroad. Kato Pafos built in the l3th century over the ruins of the largest Early Byzantine basilica on the island. Within the compound one can see St. Paul's Pillar, where according to tradition Saint Paul was flogged before the Roman Governor Sergius Paulus was converted to Christianity. Today it is a small harbour town, but in Hellenistic and Roman times it was the capital of Cyprus. Still under the spell of her Beauty goddess, the area retaining her magic, has remained intact by time. It seduces its visitor with its majestic landscape, lovely coastline, historical treasures and delightful villages where tradition is still a way of life. Kept in harmony with nature are divine mediaeval monasteries, which lie peacefully in the Pafos heartland. The castle / fort built in the harbour area of the town of Pafos by the Lusignans at the beginning of the early l3th century on the site of a previous Byzantine Castle. It was destroyed by an earthquake in 1222. Kato Pafos harbour.originally a Byzantine fort built to protect the harbour, it was rebuilt by the Lusignans in the l3th century, dismantled by the Venetians in 1570 and rebuilt by the Ottomans after they captured the island in the 16th century. In Geroskipou village, the name of the village comes from the Greek phrase "Hieros Kepos", sometimes spelt "Ieros Kipos", meaning "the sacred garden of Aphrodite", a fascinating collection of folk arts and crafts is exhibited in the beautiful Chatzismith house. Also to be found here is the AGIA PARASKEVI CHURCH, one of the most interesting Byzantine churches on the island, dating to the l0th century. It is a basilica surmounted by five domes forming a cross and has beautiful mural paintings dating mainly to the l5th century. TOMBS OF THE KINGS Spread over a vast area, these impressive underground tombs date back to the 4th century BC. They are carved out of solid rock with some being decorated with Doric pillars. High officials rather than Kings were buried here, but the magnificence of the tombs gave the locality its name. THE MOSAICS OF PAFOS House of Dionysos, House of Theseus and House of Aion. The mosaic floors of these noblemen's villas dating from the 3rd to the 5th century AD are considered among the finest in the Eastern Mediterranean. They mainly depict scenes from Greek mythology. SANCTUARY OF APHRODITE Kouklia village,14 km east of Pafos, off the Limassol road (Lemesos locally) Palaipafos (Old Pafos) was one of the most celebrated pilgrimage centres of the ancient Greek world, and once city-kingdom of Cyprus. Here stood the famous Sanctuary of Aphrodite, the most ancient remains of which date back to the 12th century BC. The glorious days of the sanctuary lasted till the 3rd-4th century. The museum, housed in the Lusignan Manor, contains many interesting finds from the area, and excavations continue on the site of the sanctuary, the city and the necropolis. Birthplace of Aphrodite, on the main road of Limassol (Lemesos)– Pafos. 25 km east of Pafos, according to legend, Aphrodite goddess of love and beauty, rose from the waves in this strikingly beautiful spot. The Greek name, Petra tou Romiou 'The Rock of the Greek' is associated with the legendary frontier-guard of Byzantine times Digenis Akritas, who kept the marauding Saracens at bay with amazing strength. It is said that he heaved this large rock into the sea destroying the enemy's ship.
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Cyprus Property for Sale |
