Culture

Experience at first hand one of the oldest civilisations of the Mediterranean, one that goes back 10,000 years.

Conquered by foreign powers throughout its long history, the island is like a large open air museum where you can see evidence of its chequered past. Ancient Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Phoenicians, Venetians, Ottomans and British all left their mark, making the island a mosaic of different cultures and periods.

Famous for its copper in antiquity, Cyprus (‘Kypros’ in Greek) may even have given the metal its Latin name, cuprum. The cult of Aphrodite, the ancient Greek mythological goddess of love and beauty, flourished here and people came from miles around to take part in celebrations in her name.

The island was the first country the apostles Paul and Barnabas visited in their mission to spread Christianity and the first to come under Christian administration.

 
When Cyprus became part of the Byzantine Empire, art and architecture flourished here, especially in the 12th century, considered to be the Golden Age of Byzantine painting in Cyprus. As a distant outpost of Byzantium, Cyprus escaped the iconoclastic decrees of the 8th century and much of its Byzantine art has survived here.