Author: cconstantinou

The Steni Museum of Village Life is a tribute to all the villagers who lived in Steni during the challenging years, from its founding to the end of the Second World War (1800 -1945).

Its exhibits include scenes of loom weaving and ploughing, and presentations of tools and equipment, handicrafts, kitchenware, pots and jars and traditional clothing.

The Pafos District Archaeological Museum houses a collection of finds from the Pafos (Paphos) region dating from the Neolithic Age to 1700 AD.

The exhibits are set across five rooms and originate mainly from Palaipafos (Kouklia), Nea Pafos (present­ day Pafos) and Marion-Arsinoe (Polis). They are supplemented by finds from Pegeia, Kissonerga, Lempa, Pano Arodes, Salamiou, Akourdalia, Pomos, Kidasi and Geroskipou.

The first room covers the Neolithic, Chalcolithic and Bronze Age, including coins cut from the mint of Pafos. The second room houses exhibits from the Iron Age and Classical period, including a tombstone from Marion with the Cyprosyllabic script. The third room presents the Hellenistic and Roman periods, with a rare marble bust of Aphrodite and a marble statue of Asklepios. The fourth room hosts exhibits from the late Roman and early Christian periods, while the newer fifth room showcases pieces from the Byzantine Period and the Middle Ages in general.

The museum is linked to the Aphrodite Cultural Route.

Located in the Pafos (Paphos) resort of Polis Chrysochous, the Local Archaeological Museum of Marion-Arsinoe consists of an interesting collection of antiquities discovered in the region where the ancient city-kingdom of Marion-Arsinoe once stood.

The Museum consists of two rooms and an atrium. The first room exhibits objects in chronological order, tracing the historical development of the area from Neolithic to Medieval times. Exhibited in the second room is an important collection of objects brought to light from the area’s rich necropolis.

Marion was an important commercial centre in the Classical and Hellenistic periods, with close ties with Athens. During the Hellenistic-Roman period, Marion was renamed Arsinoe and is now the small town of Polis Chrysochous, commonly known as simply ‘Polis’.

The museum links to the Aphrodite Cultural Route.

The Local Ethnographic Museum of Geroskipou is housed in a traditional 18th century building known as the ‘House of Hadjismith’, and was founded in 1978.

The museum’s large and diverse collection of exhibits originate from all over Cyprus and represent the daily life, crafts, activities and different expressions of Cypriot folk art during the 19th and early 20th centuries. The rural crafts include pottery, scarf making, rug weaving and rope making, as well as the manufacture of silk, for which the island was famous for.

The building itself is a grand house by the standards of its time, and was originally part of a larger complex of buildings. It is listed as an Ancient Monument and once belonged to Andreas Zimboulakis, a rich and educated man who was appointed British Consular Agent for western Cyprus, and was responsible for the provisioning of the British troops. The British Admiral Sir Sydney Smith would visit the house regularly, giving it the nickname of ‘the Smith’s house’.

The name of Geroskipou village comes from the Greek words for ‘sacred garden’ – ‘Ieros Kipos’ – as it was once the site of Aphrodite’s sacred garden.  

The Fyti Weaving Museum exhibits examples of the village’s famous woven textiles, and demonstrates how the craft has been practised in the village since Medieval Times using the old-style loom.

The unique style of weaving is known locally as ‘Fythkiotika’ and is characterised by a variety of designs and rich colours.

The Ethnographic Museum is a private museum that opened in 1958 and consists of the collection of the late George Eliades – an intellectual who had an interest in archaeology, history, folk art and literature, and collected art treasures from the countryside of Cyprus, and particularly the region of Pafos (Paphos).

Housed in an 1894 residence, the two-storey building is made of stone, with three unusual Gothic-style arches and beautiful gardens.

The exhibits include: costumes (particularly rural costumes and trimmings); traditional carved wooden furniture; Venetian mirrors; farming tools; kitchen utensils; clay artefacts; looms and woven articles, along with archaeological finds that date mainly from the Chalcolithic period and include coins, jewellery, amphorae and water jugs, amongst other items.

The museum can also hold civil and religious weddings in cooperation with the Anglican Church.