Cyprus - Pafos
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The Pafos Region
Admire the view at Maa-Paleokastro, the site on a peninsula near Coral Bay, where the Mycenaean Greeks first landed in Cyprus in the Bronze Age. Explore inland by going on a wine tour of the villages, stopping off at Chrysorrogiatissa monastery with its fine icons where you can get a taste of the locally produced vintage wine from its own winery. Or indulge in one of the many activities available, from playing a round of golf at a premier golf resort, indulging in a sea sport, such as swimming, diving or sailing, or going for the thrill of a water park or karting centre. The Akamas peninsula is an area of natural wilderness with dramatic coastlines and sandy coves. Visit one of the last Mediterranean nesting grounds for the green and loggerhead turtles on the sandy beaches of Lara. Or walk along one of the many scenic nature trails spotting rare endemic plants that grow there, or watching migrating birds fly by overhead. Or take a boat trip along the spectacular coastline of what forms part of Aphrodite’s playground.
Tombs of the Kings The “Tombs of the Kings” are situated close to the sea in the north western necropolis of Pafos (Paphos). They owe their name to their size and splendour – some probably belonged to the Pafian aristocracy, and not because royalty was buried there. They are rock cut and date to the Hellenistic and early Roman periods. Some of them imitate the houses of the living, with the rooms (here the burial chambers) opening onto a peristyle atrium. They are similar to tombs found in Alexandria, demonstrating the close relations between the two cities during the Hellenistic period. Maa-Palaeokastro, a settlement on the western coast of the island close to Coral Bay, is important for the understanding of the end of the Late Bronze Age in Cyprus. Maa is located a good distance from the nearest main urban centre of the antiquity Palaepafos, some 25 kilometres to the southeast, and 10 kilometres northwest of the modern town of Pafos (Paphos). Its imposing defensive walls were always exposed and gave the site its name of "Palaeokastro” (‘the old castle’). This area was settled by the first Mycenaean Greeks who arrived on the island around 1200 BC, after the fall of the Mycenaean kingdoms in mainland Greece. It is therefore one of the nuclei from which began the Hellenization of Cyprus. Strategic advantages, like the superb natural harbours provided by the sheltered bays and the uninterrupted view of the land and sea approaches, appear to have been dominant in the choice of site. The site is well known for its fortification walls, reminiscent of Mycenaean Cyclopean architecture. These large ashlar blocks and the steep rugged cliffs on the other sides of the site offered protection to the inhabitants of Maa and it is believed that the site had a specific defensive function. Despite its strong protective character, the site’s life span was short and came to an end c.1200 BC. The fortifications of the settlement consist of two separate walls. The first wall protected the settlement from the land, as it blocked the whole width of the narrowest part of the peninsula. The second offered protection from the sea, as it is located on the edge of the peninsula, just next to the sea. Both these fortifications were built in the same way, strongly reminiscent of the ‘Cyclopean’ style of Mycenaean walls. The walls which faced towards the land have a total length of 70 metres and a width of 3.5 metres. They have a gate 4 metres wide. The lower part of the walls has two parallel rows of boulders, the gap between them filled with smaller stones. The upper part seems to have been built of mud-brick. The sea-front wall was built in the same way, but the boulders of the lower part were of a smaller size. Many archaeologists associate the destruction of Maa and other Late Bronze Age sites, with the appearance of the ‘Sea People’, blamed by scholars for causing wide spread disorder and destruction throughout the Eastern Mediterranean towards the end of the Bronze Age.
Evocative region with rugged coastlines and charming little villages, oozing with culture and lush vines, with rustic and contemporary elements nesting side by side. These and othe destinations of the route also invite you to sample the rare Maratheftiko, one of the best red wine varieties of Cyprus.
Like in the case of the other routes of Pafos (Paphos), this route also starts from the Palaiochristian Basilica of Chrysopolitissa in Kato Pafos (Kato Paphos), the church which is connected to Apostle Pavlos since in its yard lies the column on which he was tied and whipped. The Church of Agia Kyriaki, also in Kato Pafos, dates back to the 15th century. ?he ?yzantine Museum of the Holy Bishopric of Pafos is considered to be one of the richest museums in terms of significant exhibits whose collection can easily be compared to that of the Museum of the Archbishop Makarios III Foundation in Lefkosia (Nicosia). The next stop is at the Bishopric and at the Church of Agios Ilarionas whose south aisle of the original building only has been salvaged today. The Church of Panagia tis Eleousas in Nata village is a church of large dimensions which has been under reconstruction in the past years. The monastery of Panagia tou Sinti, in Pentalia is assumed to have been built in 1542. While originally it was autonomous, it later became, under Turkish rule, a glebe of Kykkos Monastery. The last church of this route is the Church of Agios Nikolaos in Galataria with beautiful frescoes of the first half of the 16th century.
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