MYTHS AND RICHES
A kaleidoscope of culture, history and landscape
Strike out beyond the sunsoaked stretches of sand to discover an island of compelling culture and landscapes, steeped in myths and riddled with ancient riches.
Crossing the Line
Crossing the line between the South and the North allows you to gain some understanding of the island’s complex and painful modern history, and experience the two Cypriot communities. Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot societies are intrinsically different yet incredibly similar, linked by the still-strong role of traditional family life and a rich history where food cultures and folk customs have intermingled, but divided by belief.
The great outdoors
The landscape and Mediterranean climate mean that outside is where it’s at. Sun-soaked stretches of sand are Cyprus’ calling card and there’s a beach for everyone here, from wild and windswept to family-friendly and packed. Every conceivable water sport is on offer, from scuba diving to skimming the surface on a kite- or windsurf board. And if you tire of all that blue, strike out into the interior, where wildflower-studded meadows and valleys of densely planted vineyards sweep up to a pine-clad mountain spine offering hiking, biking and, yes, even winter skiing.
A sense of the past
Cyprus’ tumultuous and multilayered past has left ancient riches strewn across this island. Neolithic dwellings, Bronze Age and Phoenician tombs, remnants of once-mighty city kingdoms, Roman mosaics, mountaintop castles and Byzantine churches lay scattered through the countryside.
A culinary feast
Meze is a delicious way to acquaint yourself with the local cuisine, tantalising the taste buds with a feast of small dishes, from creamy hummus to kebabs or afelia (pork cooked in red wine) and everything in between. Heavily influenced by Turkish, Greek and Middle Eastern food cultures, Cypriot cooking has some of its own culinary stars, including haloumi (hellim in Turkish) and kebab favourite sheftalia (s¸eftali kebap in Turkish; grilled sausages wrapped in caul fat). And don’t forget the desserts. Flavoured with almonds, rose water and pistachios, sweet treats range from comforting rice puddings to gloriously sticky baklava.
Cyprus’ Top 10 Troo¨ dos Byzantine churches
From the outside, the rural churches of the Troo¨ dos appear insignificant, but don’t be fooled – that’s just a front for the spectacular frippery inside. From the 11th to the 16th centuries, skilled artisans in isolated hill chapels such as Panagia Forviotissa created some of the most vivid fresco finery of the latebyzantine and post-byzantine periods. Today, 10 of these churches appear on the Unesco World Heritage Site list, truly crowning Cyprus as the ‘island of the saints’.
Karpas Peninsula
With its spine of cliffs tapering out to fields filled with wildflowers and rare orchids edged by beaches where loggerhead turtles nest, the Karpas is Cyprus at its most rural, wild and woolly. Just a handful of villages are scattered across the skinny peninsula, which stretches up the island’s most easterly point where the Monastery of Apostolos Andreas faces the sea. Hike the trails,or laze on the vast stretch of dune-rimmed sand of Golden Beach or simply take time out from life.
Pafos archaeological site
One of the island’s most mesmerising archaeological sites is in the southerly resort of Pafos. A vast, sprawling site, the ancient city dates to the late 4th century BC and what you can see today is believed to be only a modest part of what remains to be excavated. The intricate and colourful Roman floor mosaics at the heart of the original complex were first unearthed by a farmer ploughing his field in 1962.
Magnificent meze
This small-plates feast, made to be shared, is a taste-bud tour of the island’s culinary heritage. Sweep up familiar favourites of hummus, tzatziki and taramasalata with bread, and savour seasonal vegetables doused in lashings of garlic, lemon and olive oil. Then get ready for the parade of meat or fish dishes waiting in the wings. It adds up to a lot of food, so siga, siga (slowly, slowly) does it. Sample meze at its best at Zanettos Taverna in Nicosia.
Kyrenia’s old harbour
Backdropped by jagged mountains and overlooked by a golden-stoned castle, Kyrenia’s old harbour evokes an aura of bygone Cyprus. Where merchant ships once fought for space, an armada of bobbing gu¨ lets (traditional wooden ships) now moor. Hugging the waterfront, tall stone-cut buildings which once stored raw carob have been reinvented as cafes and restaurants. On a blue-sky day, it may just be the most photogenic spot on the island.
Navigating North Nicosia
Crossing the Green Line from Nicosia (Lefkosia) into North Nicosia (Lefkos¸a), the Turkish Cypriot side of the capital, is an extraordinary experience. Leave the smart shops of the Republic’s Ledra St behind and enter the altogether more ramshackle world of Arasta Sokak, lined with scruffy bazaar stalls. Here lies some of the city’s best-preserved architecture, including the soaring Gothic Selimiye and Haydarpas¸a mosques and the trade-caravan remnants of the Bu¨ yu¨ k Han.
Roaming Cape Greco
Southeast of Agia Napa, the beachparty music fades away and trails lead out along the rocky limestone headland of Cape Greco National Park. Kayaking around the cape gets you up-close-and-personal with dramatic cliff faces, whittled away by wind and sea, while the coastal walks and cycling tracks, rimmed with wild thyme and lowlying scrub, lead to church ruins, sea caves, beaches and natural rock formations. To cool off afterwards, head down to Konnos Beach, the prettiest strip of white sand in the area.
Ruins of Ancient Kourion
Founded in Neolithic times and gloriously perched on a hillside overlooking the sea, Ancient Kourion flourished under the Mycenaeans, Ptolemies, Romans and Christians. This is the most spectacular of the South’s archaeological sites, including some well-preserved mosaics, an early-christian basilica and a theatre with sweeping views that still hosts opera under the stars. After exploring the site, take a dip in the sea at nearby Kourion Beach, where you can find ruins of a port basilica dating from around the 6th century.
Historic Famagusta
Enclosed within the mammoth bulk of its Venetian walls, Famagusta’s old town is a ghost of its once grand and gilded past. Wind your way down narrow, rickety alleyways roamed by rowdy chickens to find shells of churches, with still-standing walls holding on to scraps of faded frescos. Rising above the dilapidated remnants is the swaggering Gothic spectacle of the Lala Mustafa Pas¸a Camii (originally St Nicholas Cathedral), standing like a lonely sentinel to the lavish excess of the Lusignan era.
Hiking in the Troo¨ dos
The Troo¨ dos Mountains offer an expanse of flora, fauna and geology across a range of pine forests, waterfalls, rocky crags and babbling brooks. The massif and summit of Mt Olympus, at an altitude of 1952m, provide spectacular views of the southern coastline and the cool, fresh air is a welcome respite from summer heat. Ramblers, campers, flowerspotters and birdwatchers alike will be absorbed by the ridges, peaks and valleys that make up the lushest and most diverse hiking and nature trails on the island.