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Besparmak Mountains

Besparmak Mountains

The Besparmak Mountains stretch like a limestone backbone along the northern coast of Cyprus, parallel to the Mediterranean for approximately 160 kilometers. Known also as the Kyrenia Mountains or Pentadaktylos, this narrow ridge rises abruptly from the coastal plain to create one of the island's most dramatic landscapes. The name Besparmak translates to five fingers in Turkish, referring to a distinctive peak that resembles an outstretched hand. Ancient Limestone from the Mesozoic Era The range consists primarily of hard crystalline limestone with some dolomite and marble formations dating to the Mesozoic period, formed between 250 and 65 million years ago beneath ancient seas. Unlike the volcanic Troodos Mountains in southern Cyprus, this northern range represents sedimentary formations from the Permian to Middle Miocene periods, pushed upward by collision of African and Eurasian tectonic plates. The highest peak, Mount Selvili Tepe, reaches 1,024 meters near Lapta. While only half the height of Troodos, the Kyrenia Mountains appear more imposing because they rise suddenly from the flat Mesaoria plain. The porous limestone acts as a natural filter, creating mountain aquifers that supply nearly all towns and villages in northern Cyprus. Endemic Plants on Limestone Cliffs The limestone cliffs support diverse flora. Cyprus hosts 1,750 native plant species, of which 128 are endemic. The Kyrenia range contains 57 endemic species, concentrated at higher…

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Cyprus Railway Museum

Cyprus Railway Museum

The museum occupies the original Evrychou railway station, a sandstone building constructed in 1906 in the foothills of the Troodos Mountains. The station operated as the western terminus of the Cyprus Government Railway from June 14, 1915, until December 31, 1931, when the final five miles of the railway were abandoned due to financial losses. After the railway closed completely in 1951, the building served various purposes, first as a health center and later as a forest workers' dormitory. EOKA fighters damaged and burned the building during their campaign against British rule, as the railway represented colonial infrastructure. The Department of Antiquities restored the station between 2003 and 2012, with new tracks laid in 2010 to 2012 in a Y-shape formation covering about 100 meters. The museum officially opened in September 2016, becoming Cyprus's only railway museum. British expats and local railway enthusiasts contributed significantly to the museum's development, and their contributions are acknowledged in the entrance hall. Historical Background The Cyprus Government Railway operated from October 21, 1905, to December 31, 1951, covering 76 miles across the island. British High Commissioner Sir Garnet Wolseley proposed building a railway when Britain took control of Cyprus in 1878, but uncertainty about how long Britain would govern the island delayed the project for decades. Frederick Shelford submitted a feasibility study on behalf…

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Strawberry Tree In Cyprus

Strawberry Tree In Cyprus

High on rocky, sun-scorched hillsides where pine meets maquis, a graceful evergreen catches the eye with branches glowing like polished copper. Each summer its smooth bark peels away in thin, papery sheets, revealing fresh layers of vivid orange-red and pistachio-green beneath – a living canvas of renewal. This is the Cyprus strawberry tree, one of the island’s most elegant natives and a quiet sentinel of the Mediterranean wildlands. A Graceful Member of the Heath Family Known scientifically as Arbutus andrachne, this evergreen shrub or small tree belongs to the genus Arbutus within the Ericaceae family (the heath or heather family) in the order Ericales, part of the asterid group of flowering plants. In Cyprus it grows alongside its close relative Arbutus unedo (the common strawberry tree) and is a classic component of maquis shrublands and pine-forest understories. Roots Deep in Ancient Mediterranean Landscapes Arbutus andrachne has been part of Cyprus since prehistoric times, forming an integral element of the original maquis vegetation. The ancient Greek botanist Theophrastus (4th–3rd century BC) described it as “Andrachni” in his History of Plants. It was noted by 19th-century explorers and in the 2007 Cyprus “Tree of the Year” campaign by the Department of Forests. Today it remains widespread and secure, listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List thanks to its broad eastern-Mediterranean…

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