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The Mottled Giants by Cypriot Streams

The Mottled Giants by Cypriot Streams

Beside a sparkling mountain stream in the Troodos foothills, tall trees with beautiful patchwork trunks cast deep, cool shade over the water. Their large, hand-shaped leaves rustle gently, while round, spiky fruit-balls dangle like tiny planets through the winter. This is the Oriental Plane, Platanus orientalis – Cyprus’s own river guardian and one of the island’s most majestic native trees. www.inaturalist.org A Member of an Ancient Family Known scientifically as Platanus orientalis, the Oriental Plane belongs to the small but noble Platanaceae family within the order Proteales. The Tree of Hippocrates, under which Hippocrates—the "Father of Medicine"—taught at Kos, is reputed to have been an oriental plane. In Cyprus it is the only native plane tree, perfectly adapted to life along permanent watercourses where it often forms beautiful gallery forests with willows and alders. From Ancient Rivers to Modern Cyprus The Oriental Plane has been part of Cyprus’s landscape since prehistoric times and is listed as fully indigenous in the Flora of Cyprus. It was already noted by 19th-century British foresters in riverine woodlands, and in 2001 the Department of Forests honoured it as one of Cyprus’s Trees of the Year. Today it remains a flagship species of the island’s precious riparian habitats. www.inaturalist.org Distinctive Features That Make It Unmistakable The Oriental Plane is a large deciduous tree reaching 20–30…

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Saint Lazarus of Larnaca – Life, Legend & Legacy

Saint Lazarus of Larnaca – Life, Legend & Legacy

Lazarus of Bethany is one of the most recognized figures in the Bible, and yet most people only know one thing about him: Jesus raised him from the dead. What comes after that is a story that stretches across centuries and continents, and a large part of it takes place on Cyprus. expedia.ie According to Eastern Orthodox tradition, Lazarus did not simply disappear after his resurrection. He fled to the island, became a bishop, lived there for 30 years, and was buried in Larnaca. Today, the city still carries his memory in one of the oldest and most visited churches on the island. Historical Background The Gospel of John tells us that Lazarus was the brother of Mary and Martha, and that all three were close friends of Jesus. When Lazarus fell ill and died, Jesus arrived four days later and brought him back to life. The event was witnessed by a large number of people, and it caused a stir. The chief priests in Jerusalem saw Lazarus as a direct threat to their authority, because his resurrection was convincing more Jews to believe in Jesus. They planned to kill him. wikipedia.org1x According to Eastern Orthodox tradition, Lazarus and his siblings fled Judea to avoid this danger. The Western tradition tells a different version of events, where the three were…

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Modern Naval Heritage in Cyprus

Modern Naval Heritage in Cyprus

Cyprus has never treated the sea as a boundary. For centuries, its coastline functioned as a working edge where trade, defense, administration, and daily life met. In the modern period, this relationship was shaped most clearly by two naval powers: the Ottoman Empire and the British Empire. Their presence did not simply leave behind forts and harbors. It reshaped how the island was governed, how its ports functioned, and how Cypriots understood their place within the wider Mediterranean world. globalgrasshopper-com This article explores how Ottoman and British naval priorities transformed Cyprus from a regional outpost into a strategic maritime asset, and why that legacy still defines the island’s identity today. An Island Positioned to Be Watched Cyprus sits at a crossroads of the eastern Mediterranean, close enough to Anatolia, the Levant, and Egypt to matter to every power operating in the region. This geography made neutrality impossible. Control of Cyprus meant visibility over key sea lanes, access to sheltered anchorages, and influence across multiple trading and military routes. Rather than isolating the island, the sea connected it outward. Cyprus became valuable not for its interior alone, but for how its coastline could support movement, surveillance, and supply. This strategic reality explains why naval priorities repeatedly shaped the island’s administration. What “Modern Naval Heritage” Really Means When discussing naval heritage in…

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