Cyprus city of Paphos - Part 1

The entire town of Pafos is a listed UNESCO site. Pafos was the capital of Cyprus for a long period of time in the past. Today it is just another charming town in the west of Cyprus. Numerous archaeological sites can be seen from the centre of the modern town, right down to its picturesque harbour, as well as all along the coast. It is out of the seas of Pafos that Aphrodite, Greek Olympian goddess of Love and Beauty is said to have risen, and it was in Pafos that the worship of the goddess flourished.

The charm of the goddess can still be felt throughout the area. The Pafos region is surrounded by a beautiful coastline. Inland and in the mountainous regions you will find many monasteries and tranquil villages. It is here that the old traditions and customs have been kept alive.

Pafos District Archaeological Museum houses a collection of finds from the Pafos area dating from the Neolithic Age. The special interest items are a set of surgical instruments and a rare sculpture of warrior Aphrodite. The museum is one of the stops on the Aphrodite Cultural route.

The Byzantine Museum of Pafos displays an important collection of artefacts from the Byzantine period, including 7th to the 18th century icons. As well as the icons there are exhibits which include wood carvings, ecclesiastical works of metallurgy, embroideries, manuscripts, old printed books and frescoes. The museum houses one of the oldest icons found in Cyprus, that of Agia Marina dating to the 7th century.

The Ethnographical museum is a private museum belonging to the Eliades family. It consists of a collection of objects from the Neolithic Age to the present day and includes a collection of rare coins.

The Ottoman baths called Loutra where still being used until the 1950’s. They consisted of a stone vaulted building with three areas; a reception area, an immediate area and the main baths. The building has now been restored and is used as the Pafos municipality cultural centre.

Agia Solomoni Christian catacomb is a small underground complex of chamber tombs from the Hellenistic period. It has been called the Chapel of the Seven Sleepers or the Seven Maccabees and almost every medieval pilgrim paid a visit. The complex was first used as a Christian catacomb in the 2nd century and it is possible it may have served as a synagogue before that. It has 12th century frescoes and among the graffiti cut into the plaster are the names of some 13th century Crusaders. A sacred tree grows above the site which, according to tradition, is believed to cure whoever hangs a personal votive offering on its branches.

Continued on part 2