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| Cyprus is another cultural treasure trove of human history. People are known to have inhabited Cyprus for at least 10000 years and it has long been a cross-roads of activity in the Eastern Mediterranean through many civilizations. It is just south of Turkey (visible across the waterway that separates them to the north), about 30 minutes flying time from Lebanon and 1 hour from Israel and Egypt. The apostles (among others) used it as a stopping point on their travels around the Mediterranean. We needed a spot to rest and the resort of Limassol is a major tourist destination, so off we went.
Of course, after 4 or 5 days on the beach sunbathing, we had to go and see the sights. Cyprus is the legendary home of the goddess Aphrodite. Here she is returning to her sanctuary to check up on how they have been maintaining the place - seems they need a little refurbishment work, although it has been around for several thousand years....
In the western city of Paphos, a series of incredible mosaics was found in 1962 during building work. They were floors in three Roman villas that are just spectacular. This is one in the House of Theseus.
Again from the House of Theseus - this one is actually still outside in sunlight (we couldn't quite figure that out). The villas were enormous, covering an acre of more each (just the rooms, not the gardens).
This mosaic is from the House of Dionysus, just one of dozens covering huge areas of the house. They are regarded as the finest mosaics in the world and are part of the World Heritage site that encompasses Paphos.
Another site just outside Paphos is the Tombs of the Kings. A little smaller perhaps than the Valley of the Kings in Egypt but impressive nonetheless. There are a whole series of underground burial vaults carved directly out of the bedrock.
This is one of the largest and most ornate.
After Paphos, we headed into the mountains in the interior of the island. The roads are not great in some sections and so the going was slow for the most part. However, we did make it to Kykkos Monastery which has to rate as one of the most richly decorated mountain retreats we have ever seen. The monks have dedicated themselves to painting or inlaying almost every surface with biblical scenes or religious images. Photography is banned inside the main church - perhaps just as well, for the amount of gold and silver used to decorate it made us wonder about that vow of poverty and helping the poor..... Note the wonderful sense of style that Orla is exhibiting here - that sort of Elvis retro look enforced by the monks to gain entry.
A series of Byzantine churches makes up another World Heritage group in the mountains. These are plain little buildings that were built in the 11th and 12th centuries. Their stark exteriors belie the wonderful frescoes that cover their interior. This one was in the midst of repair and again the use of photography was banned inside - you'll just have to take our word for it!
The third and final World Heritage Site was Choirokoitia. Orla decided that sun worship was much more of the order on this morning so no shots of the girl in these photographs. It is a neolithic site that is still being excavated but so far has revealed the foundations and partial construction of an entire village that was actually walled in. This is a big deal in a culture that existed as far back as 5000-6000 BC!
This is one of the hut structures - well formed and ultimately crowned with a flat roof.
On our final evening in Cyprus, we managed to go see the Roman ruins known as the Curium, overlooking the sea west of Paphos. This was actually used as a training camp for Roman gladiators.
The main square is in amazing condition after all this time exposed to the elements. You can just imagine the scenes played out here all those centuries ago.... |
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