Explore Cyprus with Our Interactive Map

Featured Articles

Explore our top stories and discover ideas worth your time.

View all articles
Stavrovouni Sacred Mountain Cyprus

Stavrovouni Sacred Mountain Cyprus

Rising 689 meters above the Mesaoria plain, Mount Stavrovouni has been a sacred site for over 2,000 years. The name derives from two Greek words: stavros (cross) and vouno (mountain), literally meaning "Mountain of the Cross." The monastery follows the strict ascetic rule of Saint Basil and maintains traditions similar to those of Mount Athos in Greece. The site is recognized as the earliest documented monastery in Cyprus. The oldest written reference appears in Byzantine records from the 4th century and confirms its establishment as a major religious center. A Russian monk named Abbot Daniel visited in 1106 and left detailed accounts of the monastery and its sacred artifacts in his travel memoirs. The monastery operates as a working religious community with approximately 20 monks dedicated to lifelong ascetic principles. Following Mount Athos traditions, the monastery prohibits women from entering its grounds, though female visitors can access the nearby chapel of Agia Varvara at the mountain's base. Historical Background Historical accounts and local traditions attribute the founding of the monastery to Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine, in the early 4th century. While visiting the region, she is said to have identified various archaeological sites and artifacts associated with early Christian history, which led to the establishment of the mountain's first chapel. On her return to Constantinople, Helena’s ship encountered a…

Read more
Pierides Museum Cyprus

Pierides Museum Cyprus

The Pierides Museum is the oldest private museum in Cyprus and operates in the ancestral home of the Pierides family, a colonial-style mansion built in 1825. The institution houses more than 2,500 artifacts that document 9,000 years of Cypriot civilization. The collection was initiated by Demetrios Pierides in the 19th century (1811-1895), with the aim of protecting and preserving Cyprus' antiquities and preventing the loss of the island's history. Today the museum functions under the management of the Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation and serves as a testament to five generations of dedicated collecting. The building sits in the heart of Larnaca and provides visitors with a journey through the major periods of Cypriot prehistory and history. Historical Context Demetrios Pierides was a Greek Cypriot banker, vice consul of Great Britain and collector of ancient Cypriot artifacts. Born in 1811, he studied history and literature in England and served as a private tutor of Greek for the Duke of Sutherland before becoming a professor of English language in Greece. He was the Director of Ottoman Bank in Larnaca and participated in an 1849 expedition led by Royal Navy Captain T. Graves to compile the first proper map of Cyprus. Demetrios Pierides began purchasing artifacts to preserve them and keep them in Cyprus rather than allowing foreign dealers to remove the…

Read more
European Roller Of Cyprus

European Roller Of Cyprus

Every spring, a small miracle arrives unannounced across the open fields and olive groves of Cyprus. A bird so astonishingly blue it looks almost painted – as though someone dipped a jay-sized creature into a pot of turquoise and let it fly. The locals call it the Κράγκα (Krangka), and if you've ever caught one sitting on a telephone wire in the morning sun, you'll understand why people stop their cars to look. What Exactly Is a Roller? The European Roller (Coracias garrulus) belongs to the family Coraciidae – the rollers – a small, ancient group of birds found mostly across Africa and tropical Asia. Think of them as the jewel-coloured cousins of kingfishers and bee-eaters: bright, bold, sit-and-wait hunters with a flair for the dramatic. The European Roller is the only member of its entire family that breeds anywhere in Europe, making it something of a continental rarity. It is a true Old World bird, connecting the warm farmlands of Spain and Cyprus to the open savannahs of Africa. A Traveller Through Deep Time Rollers as a group have existed for tens of millions of years, their fossil record stretching back into the Eocene epoch. The European Roller itself has been threading the skies between Africa and Europe for thousands of years, following the same migration corridors long before…

Read more