Cyprus

Europe
Middle East, island in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Turkey.

		34.935482N 33.1347656E
President Dimitris Christofias

Capital
Nicosia

Government
Presidential republic

Religion
Greek Orthodox 78%, Muslim 18%, other (includes Maronite and Armenian Apostolic) 4%.

Population
1,102,677

Ethnic group
Greek 77%, Turkish 18%, other 5%.

National Language                     
Greek
            
National Day
16 August 1960 (from the UK)

Anthem
Ýmnos eis tīn Eleutherían (Hymn to Liberty)

Currency
Euro2 (EUR)

Attractions
Paphos Archaeological Site

Website    

Art & Cultural

The ICON

Paphos Archaeological Site The Tombs of the Kings ("τάφοι των βασιλέων", tafi ton vasileon in Greek) is a large necropolis lying about two kilometres (little over a mile) north-west of Paphos harbour in Cyprus. The underground tombs, many of which date back to the 4th century BCE, are carved out of the solid rock, and are thought to have been the burial sites of Paphitic aristocrats and high officials up to the third century CE (the name comes from the magnificence of the tombs; no kings were in fact buried here). Some of the tombs feature Doric columns and frescoed walls. Archaeological excavations are still being carried out at the site. The tombs are cut into the native rock, and at times imitated the houses of the living. Although the tombs have been known and casually explored for centuries, they were first subjected to systematic excavation in the later 1970s and the 1980s under the direction of Dr Sophocles Hadjisavvas, now Director of Antiquities of the Republic of Cyprus. Dr Hadjisavvas has turned over to research students of the University of Sydney the preparations of the finds for publication. Part of the importance of the tombs lies in the Paphian habit of including Rhodian amphorae among the offerings in a burial. Through the manufacturing stamps placed on the handles of these amphorae, it is possible to give them a date and, through them, the other material from the same burial. Thus, it is hoped to develop a more secure chronology for archaeological material in the Eastern Mediterranean of the Hellenistic and early Roman periods.

Tombs of the Kings (Paphos)