Explore Cyprus with Our Interactive Map

Featured Articles

Explore our top stories and discover ideas worth your time.

View all articles
Green Sea Turtle Conservation Programs in Cyprus

Green Sea Turtle Conservation Programs in Cyprus

The green sea turtle represents one of the Mediterranean's rarest nesting species. In this entire sea, only 300 to 400 female green turtles nest each year, with the vast majority choosing beaches in Cyprus and Turkey. This makes Cyprus critically important for the species' survival in the region. The green turtle earned its name from the green fat stored beneath its shell, a result of its diet that consists almost entirely of seagrass and algae once the turtle reaches adulthood. Green turtles belong to the family Cheloniidae and hold the distinction of being the largest hard-shelled sea turtle species. Adults can reach one meter in length and weigh between 130 and 160 kilograms. Their distinctive heart-shaped shell ranges from olive to black in color, while the underside stays pale yellow. Unlike their carnivorous loggerhead cousins, adult green turtles maintain an almost exclusively herbivorous diet, grazing on seagrass meadows and coastal algae. From Crisis to Conservation Action Historical records and testimony from older fishermen confirm that green turtles were once far more abundant around Cyprus than they are today. Exploitation of Mediterranean sea turtles from ancient times through the mid-20th century devastated populations. An estimated 100,000 turtles were shipped from the Eastern Mediterranean to Europe to meet demand for turtle soup and other products. This commercial harvest, combined with coastal development…

Read more
Music and Identity in the Cyprus National Anthem

Music and Identity in the Cyprus National Anthem

Cyprus and Greece share the same national anthem, the Hymn to Liberty, making them the only two countries in the world to use the same musical composition for their national anthems. On November 16, 1966, it was unilaterally decided by the Greek members of government that the Greek anthem would be used by Cyprus as well. The Turkish members had already boycotted the government by this point. This decision reflected the cultural and historical ties between Greece and Cyprus, both of which share language, traditions, and a sense of common identity, though it also revealed the deep division between the island's two communities. The Revolutionary Poem Behind the Music Dionysios Solomos wrote Hymn to Liberty in 1823 in Zakynthos during the Greek War of Independence when Greeks fought to break free from nearly 400 years of Ottoman rule. He was only 25 years old at the time. The poem consists of 158 four-line stanzas, making it the longest national anthem text in the world. Inspired by the Greek War of Independence, Solomos wrote the hymn to honor the struggle of Greeks for independence after centuries of Ottoman rule. The Hymn to Liberty recounts the misery of the Greeks under the Ottomans and their hope for freedom. He describes different events of the War, such as the execution of Patriarch Gregory…

Read more
Sacred Rhythms of Cyprus

Sacred Rhythms of Cyprus

Religious celebrations in Cyprus are not confined to church interiors or specific dates. They shape the pace of the year, the movement of villages, and the shared memory of communities across the island. Rooted primarily in the traditions of the Orthodox Church, these celebrations blend formal liturgy with local customs, seasonal rhythms, and deeply human moments of gathering, mourning, and joy. To understand Cyprus is to understand how sacred time is lived here, not as an abstraction, but as part of everyday life. Time measured in faith, not months In Cyprus, time has long been understood through a sacred rhythm rather than a purely civil one. The Orthodox liturgical calendar does not simply mark holidays; it structures the year around cycles of preparation, anticipation, and renewal. Days begin at sunset rather than sunrise, and weeks unfold with specific spiritual themes attached to each day. This layered sense of time creates continuity. Even those who are not regular churchgoers often know when Lent begins, when Easter approaches, or when a village panigyri is near. Sacred time quietly runs alongside modern schedules, shaping habits and expectations without demanding constant attention. Easter as a season, not a single day Pascha, or Easter, is the emotional and spiritual centre of the Cypriot year. It is not experienced as a single celebration, but as a…

Read more