It's exactly on the shores of Cyprus that the beautiful goddess of Beauty and Love - Aphrodite - was born, emerging - as a young woman - from sea waters, where the severed genitals of Uranus had been thrown by his son Chronos.
Even though Aphrodite remains an immensely beautiful and ageless goddess, the history of her island is ancient, and the first inhabitants occupied the island back in Prehistoric ages. During the years it passed under Greek, Egyptian and Persian rule, until - in 395 AD - became part of the Byzantine Empire, hence remaining - for eight centuries - part of it, although a brief domination under the Arabs.
The island was then captured by England, France, Templars, Venitians, Ottomans and Britain. Between the beginning of XXth century and the 50s Greek Cypriots demanded the union with Greece. Independence was reached in 1960 but shortly later turmoils followed among the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots, hence escalating in the Turkish Invasion of 1974. The question isn't over yet, and Cyprus is currently divided into zones, and the UN has a peace keeping force there, in order to maintain peace between Greek Cypriotes and Turks Cypriotes. Even though, Cyprus is among the most travelled places in the Mediterranean basin, with more than 2.4 millions of tourists per year.
One of the reasons that explains why the island is a touristic hit, has to do with the seasides and the beaches. A sight to Cavo Gkreko, Agia Napa, Aphrodite Beach and Lemesos seaside, is enough to understand that. Many sites in the countryside are as beautiful such as Pachna and Protaras. Vineries can usually be found within the island. And the villages nested into the valleys with their monasteries, are a unique scenography. No wonder the island has been associated with a so beautiful mythological figure, since it's a wonder of nature, with unforgettable beaches, bays, crystal clear waters, mountains, lakes; it's an island where fauna and flora have a lot to offer; where wild animals such as mouflons, foxes, birds (birdwatching is among the most practiced activities by tourists), hedgehog, turtles, - to name a few - prosper. Flowers and butterflies are numerous and there are some type of trees and fishes too, that can be found solely in the island and nowhere else.
But Cyprus is an island where spirituality has had and still has great importance. Even though from the exterior the Church of Our Lady of Asinou could be easily be skipped, it's a noteworthy byzantine monument in Cyprus, part of UNESCO's World Heritage. Part of a monastery founded by Magristros Nicephorus Ischyrius, in 1099, the Church of Our Lady of Asinou (a.k.a. Church of Our Lady Phorviotissa and a.k.a. Panaghia of Asinou) holds an impressive number of wall paintings that were exectured at different times, by different artists. The icons cover every inch of the interior walls and, among those portrayed, it's possible to see St. John Chrysostom, St. Constantine and St. Helen (the same Helen who appears in Marion Zimmer Bradley's Priestess of Avalon), the Martyrs of Sebaste and St. George, to name just s few. Even if today only the interior remains, in the past also the outside of the church was frescoed in the same way. Kykkos Monastery (Panagia tou Kykkou) is another impressive example of byzantine times. It was built in 1092, and is dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The full title of the monastery read as follows "the holy, royal, stavropegiac monastery of Kykko, founded with a cross". Holy because of the purpose, royal becase it was founded by the Byzantine Emperor Alexius Comneus, stravropegiac because it was founded with a cross driven into its foundation...and Kykko...nobody knows. Inside, to the left of the main entrance, there is the Icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The history wants that Mary appeared to the Emperor in dream and remember him to send this icon to Cyprus, when - in fact - he had prepared a fake to be sent there. "Keep thine icon, O Emperor, by thee, and send mine to Cyprus", she said. Enclosed in a shrine of tortoiseshell and motherpearl, the icon is there. Religious fairs are held at Kykkos on the 15th August and 8th September. Kykko also has a museum, where several antiquities, icons and consecrated objects, which spans from Antiquities to Post Byzantine, can be viewed.
Nearby Omodos, the Monastery of Stavros or of the Holy Cross, was founded in 327 AD by Saint Helen - mother of the Emperor Costantine -, who left a considerable amount of relics on the island, recollected during a pilgrimage she performed in the Holy Land. The Monastery has a golden cross which contains the fibers of the ropes by which Jesus Christ had been tied to the cross and fragments of the cross itself.
But the sacred architecture of Ancient times hasn't disappeared, either. The Sanctuary of Apollo Hylates was used between the VII century BC to the IV century AD, when the pagan cults were suppressed by Christianity. Apart from the temple in itself, other buildings of the same structure can be identified, such as the baths, the gymnasium and the sacerdotal house. Kourion is amongst the finest archaelogical sites existing in Cyprus, with impressive mosaics. Once there, the House of Eustolios will amaze you. Eustolios was a man who, after the region had been hit by an earthquake, donated first his thermal baths, then part of his home to the people who had been hit and had lost their properties. The amphitheatre is a jewel nested inside the hill, overlooking the sea with an enchanting panorama. If the Greek tragedies aren't already breathtaking enough, the panorama will for sure make anybody speechless. In the evenings, there is often some play in program.
Nearby, the Kolossi Castle is a stronghold that was built in 1454 by the Knights Hospitallers, on the ruins of another one built in 1210 by the Frankish military. The Knights of the Order of saint John were transferred to Rhodos in 1310, but the administration of the military stood there and kept exploiting the vineyards, sugar canes and plantations that were cultivated into the valley. The stronghold was rebuilt after the several raids by the Genoese and by the Mamelukes, which left the castle in ruins. The interior isn't less magnificent, wih the rooms that take the visitor back to the Medieval times with its sieges. But the air of Middle Ages can be breathed too at the Medieval Museum of Cyprus, inside the Castle of Limassol. Inaugurated in 1987, it hosts exhibitions which reflects the history of Cyprus, with objects from several periods, such as the Early Christian Era, the Byzantine Era, the period between the Arab raids, Middle age, Frankish and Venetian periods and, finally, the Ottoman Era.
Pafos harbour is the ideal place to wander at sunset, admiring the daylight fading away. The harbour is quite ancient, since it was founded by King Nikoklis in the IV century, hence giving importance to all the city, where Cicero was Consul and where St. Paul started his apostleship. Remember to look around and visit Theseus House and the House of Dionysus. Finally, Nicosia (a.k.a. Lefkosia) is the capital of the Island. Since 1974, when Turkey invaded the island, the Green Line divides the city in two. In the Greek side, the statue of Makarios - who predicated the enosis with Greece - can be admired. Once in Nicosia, do not forget that's a nice place to do some shopping, since it hosts several malls ans boutiques in the Avenue Makarios III. If on the Northern Side of the Green Line, on the other hand, head to the area around the Atatürk Meydani. If you're looking for someting artisanal, go for the lefkaritika, the lefkonika or come ceramics from Kornos. Maybe, once on the way back home, you will not have the baggages filled with a lot of souvenirs, but we are quite sure that the sun and sea will have rejuvenated your body, and the calm of the monasteries and the hills will have awakened your spirits....
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