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Cyprus, the island
Cyprus may be a small country, but it's a large island - the third
largest in the Mediterranean. And it's an island with a big heart - an island that gives its visitors a genuine welcome and treats them as friends.
With its spectacular scenery and enviable climate, it's no wonder that Aphrodite chose the island as her playground, and since then, mere mortals have been discovering this 'land fit for Gods' for themselves.
Cyprus is an island of beauty and a country of contrasts. Cool, pine-clad mountains are a complete scene-change after golden sun-kissed beaches; tranquil, timeless villages are in striking contrast to modern cosmopolitan towns; luxurious beachside hotels can be exchanged for large areas of natural, unspoilt countryside; yet in Cyprus all distances are easily manageable, mostly on modern roads and highways - with a secondary route or two for the more adventurous.
Most important of all, the island offers peace of mind. At a time when holidays are clouded by safety consciousness, a feeling of security prevails everywhere since the crime level is so low as to be practically non-existent.
Few countries can trace the course of their History over 10.000 years, but in approximately 8.000 B.C. the island of Cyprus was already inhabited and going through its Neolithic Age.
The island's strategic position, its copper deposits and its timber attracted the first Greeks who came to the island over 3.000 years ago at the end of the Trojan wars. They settled down bringing in with them and establishing the Greek identity, language and civilisation. Over the centuries Cyprus came under the sway of various rulers including the Egyptians, Assyrians, Persians, the successors to Alexander the Great and the Romans, before Cyprus became part of the Byzantine Empire. Later came the Crusaders, the Frankish Lusignans and Venetians, Ottomans and British. Cyprus won its independence in 1960, for the first time in 3.500 years, but the Greek identity of language and culture has been retained. In July 1974 Turkey invaded Cyprus and since then 37% of the island in the North is being illegally occupied by Turkish troops who acted in violation of all principles governing international relations.
From the topmost point of Mount Olympos to the coasts and sweeping plains, Cyprus is nature's island. Many exquisite wild flowers grow in splendid profusion in springtime. Trees, shrubs and plants luxuriate in the Mediterranean sunshine all year round. Bright bougainvillea blazes vividly against white walls, reflecting its splendour in the crystal clear waters.
Cyprus is also prized for its bird life, and the migratory birds that use the country as a stopover are eagerly awaited between seasons.
Due to the wonderful climate and variety of scenery, the island offers endless opportunities for nature lovers and outdoor sports fans. Activities such as angling, mountain-hiking, hiking, gliding, golf, sea sports and yachting are but a few of the special activity holidays that the island offers.
With so many possibilities, Cyprus is a bird watcher's paradise, an archaeologist's heaven, a photographer's dream.
10.000 Years of History
• Brief Historical Survey
cultural heritage of a people is its most important asset, its identity and a sense of continuation through time. Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean and standing as it does at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and Africa it has had a tumultuous history. The Mycenaeans Achaeans brought their civilisation here, establishing the first Greek roots 3.000 years ago. Many others passed through, including Phoenicians, Assyrians, Egyptians, Persians, Romans, Crusaders, Venetians, Ottomans and the British. The apostles of Christ walked this land. The splendour of Byzantium, founded by Constantine the Great at Constantinople, encompassed the island of Cyprus. Here are prehistoric settlements, ancient Greek temples, Roman theatres and villas, Early Christian basilicas, Byzantine churches and monasteries, Crusader castles, Gothic churches and Venetian fortifications. In the villages, old customs and traditions are still kept alive. Young girls still engage in lace-making in the beautiful village ofLefkarajust as their grandmothers did before them. Potters still create wondrous anthropomorphic shapes to decorate their earthenware vessels at picturesque Foini and the sound of hand-looms can still be heard in Fyti, home of attractive hand-woven materials, whilst, men in traditional baggy trousers, 'vraka', still congregate at the coffee shop for a game of backgammon.
In Cyprus the 21st century rubs shoulders with a civilisation 10000 years old. There are festivals whose origins stretch back into antiquity; like Carnival and Anthestiria organised in honour of God Dionysos; at Kouklia, where the Temple of Aphrodite once stood, a church was known until a few years ago as The Church of the Virgin Mary Aphroditissa'. The aura of the Great Goddess of Cyprus is still present in Pafos, and all over 'the Sweet Land of Cyprus' in the beauty of the landscape, the mildness of the climate and the charm of the people. The immortal words of Euripides and Sophocles ring out on warm summer evenings at the Ancient Kourion Theatre and the Pafos Odeon during performances of ancient Greek drama.
And in September wine flows free and the spirit of Dionysos, god of wine and merriment, is present throughout the Wine Festival. The Mediaeval folk songs are still sung in Cyprus keeping alive the legends of Digenis, the unconquerable border guard of Byzantium, and of his beautiful Queen, Rigaina. In the narrow streets of the walled city of Lefkosia the coppersmith works with the metal as did his ancestors 5,000 years ago. In the shade of old houses with their overlooking balconies, the flavour of the past lingers among the old typical stone houses.
In Cyprus the past lives side by side with the present in a unique tapestry of living history.
Cyprus enjoys perhaps the best type of Mediterranean climate with about 340 warm and sunny days a year. The light rainy season is usually confined to the period between November and March, with snow in the mountains occurring between December and April. During the six months of summer, the sun shines for an average of 11,5 hours a day, and around 5,5 hours during the cloudiest months of December and January.
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