The Lonely Planet Guide to Cyprus

Major Industries

Tourism, fruit & vegetables, wine, cement, textiles

Trading Partners

Russian, UK, Greece, Germany, Italy, France, Turkey (North only)

Getting There and Away

The Republic has airports at Larnaka and Pafos (spelled 'Larnaca' and 'Paphos' on many airline schedules), with flights from most of Europe and the Middle East. North Cyprus has an international airport at Ercan, but only Turkish airlines flies there. Passenger ferry service to the Republic was suspended in 2001; check the Salamis Lines site for updates. There are ferries from North Cyprus to Turkey, but you cannot exit Cyprus this way unless you entered from Turkey.

Getting Around

Bus services run within and between towns every day except Sunday. Those between major southern cities are cheap, frequent and efficient. If you want to travel on a Sunday, you'll need to get a service taxi. They're good for most places in the Republic, but they tend to take roundabout routes. North Cyprus has minibuses between Kyrenia and North Nicosia. You can also use service taxis to cross between the South and the North. It's easy to hire cars and bikes all over the country.

If you enter Cyprus from Turkey, customs officials from the South are authorised to fine you for entering through an illegal port. In practice, this policy is not enforced.

Cyprus Museum

The 2000 figures from Agia Irini, dating back to the 7th to 6th centuries BC, are displayed as they were found, in a semicircular order. Apart from two female representations, the figures are male and many are warriors. Their war chariots indicate the worship of a warrior god, presumably a centaur or minotaur. There are figures that represent demon-servants of the god; the snake representations symbolise fertility and suggest a deity that was also identified with fertility and the underworld.

Ancient Kourion

Kourion's natural prominence, on a hilltop overlooking the southern sea routes approaching the island, is the basis of its long history. First settled in Neolithic times, it was a centre of some importance under the Mycenaeans, the Ptolemies and the Romans. The seat of an early Christian bishopric, it fell prey to the depredations of pirates from the 7th century onwards, and was ultimately abandoned. Rediscovered in 1876, it has been the focus of careful excavation and conservation efforts; today mosaics, paved forums and extensive structural remains can be seen.

Library of Sultan Mahmut II

This great library is housed in an octagonal building erected in 1829. It contains some 1700 books, and the interior is decorated with a calligraphic frieze in blue and gold. Some of the books are up to 700 years old and the more valuable tomes are displayed in special cases. The same ticket also gives you access to the nearby Bedesten church and the Lapidary Museum.

Tombs of the Kings

The name given to this complex, actually the burial place of aristocratic (not royal) residents of Pafos, is a little misleading. It earned its grand title for its majestic appearance. Influenced by Egyptian architecture, the maze of chambers, columns, niches and friezes has been given Unesco World Heritage status. There are seven principal tombs open to the public, of which number three is the most impressive. Allow two hours to see the tombs at your leisure.

Kolossi Castle

The Mameluke raids of 1425-26 compromised the knights' prosperity and no doubt damaged the infrastructure. The current structure dates from 1454 and was probably built over the older fortified building.

The castle is accessible by a short drawbridge that was originally defended by a parapet high above, through which defenders would pour molten lead or boiling oil on the heads of unwanted visitors. Upon entering, you come across two large chambers, one with an unusually large fireplace and a spiral staircase that leads to another two chambers on the second level. The chambers are empty, so it is hard to imagine what they would have been like in their heyday. The only tangible remains of occupation is a mural of the crucifixion in the first-level main chamber. The spiral staircase leads to the roof, where the battlements, restored in 1933, lend a final touch.

Pre 20th Century History

Cyprus has always been an important trading post between the civilisations of Europe, Africa and the Middle East, and throughout history someone has always wanted to take it from someone else. First the Mycenaeans grabbed it, then the Phoenicians, Egyptians, Assyrians and Persians. Alexander the Great took it from them, then Ptolemy succeeded him. Rome took over in 58 BC and kept the place in relative peace and security until the 7th century, when the Byzantine and Islamic empires started three centuries of bickering over it.

In 1191, Richard the Lionheart, on his way to the Crusades, dropped into Cyprus for a spot of conquering, but the Cypriots caused him too much trouble (one of them killed his hawk and he was forced to massacre a few villages in retaliation), so he sold them to the Knights Templar. The Templars in turn sold the island to Guy de Lusignan, whose heirs hung in for three centuries, repressing the culture and orthodox religion but doing wonders for the economy.

The Venetians took over in 1489, but were booted out by the expanding Ottoman Empire in 1571, which kept Cyprus for 300 years before handing it over to Britain.

Modern History

In 1925 Cyprus became a Crown colony of the UK, but by then the Cypriots had had just about enough of being a pawn for empire-builders, and agitation for self-determination began. This laid the foundations for today's Greek/Turkish conflict: while many Greek Cypriots wanted to form a union with Greece (a movement known as enosis), the Turkish population was not so keen. By 1950, the Cypriot Orthodox Church and 96% of Greek Cypriots wanted enosis. In response, the British drafted a new constitution, which was accepted by the Turkish population but opposed by the National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters, who wanted enosis or nothing. They began a guerrilla war against the British.

In August 1960, Britain granted Cyprus its independence. A Greek, Archbishop Makarios, became president, while a Turk, Fazil Kücük, was made vice-president. By 1964 Makarios was moving towards stronger links with Greece, and intercommunal violence was on the rise. The United Nations sent in a peace-keeping force. In 1967 a military junta took over the Greek government and enosis went out the window - even the most fervent Greece-lovers didn't want union with such a repressive regime. Greece didn't give up, though: on 15 July 1974 a CIA-sponsored, Greek-organised coup overthrew Makarios and replaced him with a puppet leader. Turkey responded by invading and Greece quickly pulled out, but the Turks weren't placated and took the northern third of the island, forcing 180,000 Greek Cypriots to flee their homes. In 1983 Turkish Cypriots proclaimed a separate state, naming it the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). No country except for Turkey has recognised this 'state'.

Recent History

There have been numerous attempts at rapprochement since 1974, to no avail. The most intense talks came when both Cyprus and Turkey sought entry into the EU; meetings during 2002 almost bore fruit, but the effort faltered in the fine print. Next, Kofi Annan's reunion referendum plan was put to both sides in April 2003; Turkish Cypriots were overwhelmingly in favour of the plan, but Greek Cypriots voted just as overwhelmingly against it.

Real changes set in later that year, when TRNC president Rauf Denktaş decided to ease travel regulations between the North and South, allowing Cypriots from both sides to cross over for 24 hours. The Cypriots crossed the Green Line in swelling numbers and since then, four checkpoints have been opened and visiting time extended to up to three months. The Republic of Cyprus joined the EU alone in May 2004, and adopted the Euro in 2008. In 2005 Rauf Denktaş, leader of Turkish Cypriots for thirty years, lost the elections to the more moderate Mehmet Ali Talat.

Written in 1972, this Cyprus travelogue remains a classic.

Papadakis, a professor from the University of Cyprus, gives an insight into life in a divided country.

A good introduction to the island's history and archaeology.

A useful all-round guide to the island's wildlife, with checklists of most species.

Durrell, an Englishman who lived in Cyprus, wrote this classic tale of Cyprus' colonial era.