During the Bronze Age, Cyprus was
famed for its copper and became one of
the wealthiest countries on earth during
that period. This wealth attracted many
invaders, settlers and immigrants who
landed there over the centuries, and
the island has seen Greeks, Romans,
Byzantines, Lusignans (French), Genoese,
Venetians, Ottomans, British and Turks
seek to take ownership of this strategically
important island for themselves.
Currium Beach
Cyprus was annexed by the ever
expanding Roman Empire in 58 BC.
Orator and writer Cicero was one of
Cyprus’ first proconsuls. The island
enjoyed over 600 years of relative peace
and prosperity under Roman rule. Many
public buildings and roads date from this
time; noteworthy among them are the
amphitheatre at Kourion (Curium), the
colonnaded gymnasium at Salamis and
the Sanctuary of Apollon Ylatis.
It was around AD 45, that Christianity
made its early appearance on the island.
Barnabas (later to become St Barnabas;
Agios Varnavas in Greek), a native of
Salamis, accompanied the apostle Paul
and preached on Cyprus. Among his
first converts was Sergius Paulus, the
Roman proconsul.
Dad’s favourite pose
Christianity flourished on the island and,
by the time of Constantine the Great,
paganism had almost completely been
displaced by Christianity. Cyprus was the
first part of the Roman Empire to fully
convert to Christianity.
The crusader king, Richard the Lionheart
of England, took possession of Cyprus
and on May 12th 1191, in the Chapel of St
George at Limassol, he married Berengaria
of Navarre. She was crowned the same
day as Queen Consort of England and
remains the only English Queen to have
never set foot in the country.
Mum and dad’s house
Kaledonia Waterfall
The turbulent history aside, the people
on both sides of the line are some of the
friendliest you will ever meet. Cyprus can
boast one of the lowest crime rates in the
world, the laws are based mainly on ours
and they drive on the same side as us too.
Many other nations laid claim to Cyprus
over the years but in 1914 Britain
assumed outright sovereignty of the
island from the Turks with whom there
had been a previous agreement over the
administration of the island before WWI.
By 1931 the pro-enosis movement
started to gather momentum and their
aim was a union with Greece which
worried the Turkish Cypriots and by
the 1960s the country was becoming
divided. In 1974 a CIA-sponsored and
Greek-organised coup resulted in the
Turks controlling 37% of the island
and leaving the capital city Lefkosia
(Nicosia) divided, in fact it is the last
divided capital on the planet. In 1983 the
north declared it’s independence but the
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is
still not recognised by any country in the
world other than Turkey.
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Cypriots, whether Greek or Turkish, are
proud of their nation and feel a strong
sense of national identity. The division of
the island in 1974 is viewed by many as
a temporary setback, and most Cypriots
look to the day when Cyprus will be a
united island once again.
To this day around three percent of the
land mass remains as UK soil classified
as Sovereign Base Areas (SBA). This
98 square mile area is made up of two
main areas that are home to around
3,000 British military personnel as well
as thousands of Cypriots and comes
directly under the jurisdiction of the
Ministry of Defence. SBA land has a
separate administration and even a
separate police force.
Keo Beer
Having lived there and been a regular
visitor over the years I have seen most
of the island’s many delights but in my
opinion the thing that makes this a great
destination is the warmth of the Cypriots
especially if you are out of the tourist
areas. Their hospitality is amazing and
even if there is a language barrier they
are still very welcoming.
Having parents that live there means
that I have been fortunate to meet some
wonderful characters and had invites
that many holidaymakers may not have
had access to. For example on the last
night of my recent trip we were invited
to what was described as a ‘blessing’ in
Akrotiri village by someone who works
with my father. The venue was well off
the beaten track and centred around a
tiny church – St George’s.
Outside the church in the scrubland,
tables and chairs had been set up and
around 600 locals soon began to fill them.
A generator powered the lights, a band
played tradition music and an army of
helpers manned the trestle table bar and
hot buffet of around 20 dishes. Despite
asking, no one really seemed to know
what the ‘blessing’ was for an d I get the
impression that it was just an excuse for
a good old Cypriot knees-up. We shared
a table with our host and his family, who
despite not speaking English (my Greek is
not great either), kept us plied with drinks.
The band played on until the small hours
with much dancing (arms outstretched
Greek style) and even plate smashing
under the clear starlit sky. One of the best
parties I had been to in ages.
The country is full of surprises and
has a real mix of old and new, barren
landscapes and mountain forests,
beautiful beaches and ski slopes. I
remember as a kid spending the morning
on the beach in the sun then driving up to
the top of the mountains and going skiing.
The summer heat can be quite fierce
and at one point while I was there the
thermometer in the sun reached 44°C and
the temperature of the pool was a steady
32°C. Where my parents live there is
usually a breeze to help keep you cool but
in the narrow streets in old town Nicosia
the still heat can be stifling. In the shade
the temperature was usually in the 30s
and at night drops down to around 28°C.
For a break from the heat I love a trip up
the mountains. Around half way up there
is the Psilo Dendro Trout Farm which
gets its fresh mountain water from the
Kryos Potamos River that runs down
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