Explore Cyprus with Our Interactive Map

Featured Articles

Explore our top stories and discover ideas worth your time.

View all articles
Büyük Han Nicosia Ottoman Caravanserai

Büyük Han Nicosia Ottoman Caravanserai

In the center of the Turkish-occupied part of Nicosia’s Old City stands a building that has had many lives. It has been a merchant’s inn, a prison, a home for displaced families, and today it is a lively cultural center. Built in 1572, just two years after the Ottomans took over Cyprus, Büyük Han is the largest and best example of caravanserai architecture on the island. The building is almost square, measuring 50.67 by 45.25 meters, and has 68 rooms on two floors arranged around a central courtyard. It was originally built for traveling merchants and traders who connected Cyprus with Anatolia, the Levant, and beyond. Büyük Han is considered one of the best surviving examples of Ottoman architecture in Cyprus and has been a protected monument since its restoration in the 1990s. The History Behind the Great Inn Büyük Han was built in 1572 under Muzaffer Pasha, the first Ottoman governor of Cyprus. Some sources say it might have been completed by his successor, Sinan Pasha, because Muzaffer Pasha was reassigned shortly after the island was taken. Muzaffer Pasha brought an architect from Constantinople named Bostan, who may have designed Büyük Han. The design was based on the Koza Han in Bursa, Turkey, a famous Ottoman caravanserai. It has a central courtyard and fortified elements, with open arcades to…

Read more
Solar Energy Projects in Cyprus

Solar Energy Projects in Cyprus

Cyprus has positioned itself as a European leader in solar energy adoption, capitalizing on one of the continent's strongest solar resources. The island receives between 2,500 and 3,500 sunshine hours annually, with coastal areas averaging 19 to 20 megajoules per square meter daily. This exceptional solar potential has driven two parallel developments: a world-leading adoption of solar thermal water heaters dating back to the 1960s, and a rapid expansion of photovoltaic installations over the past decade. By the end of 2024, Cyprus had installed 797 megawatts of solar photovoltaic capacity, with renewables generating approximately 25 percent of the island's electricity. These achievements demonstrate how geographic advantage combined with supportive policies can transform energy infrastructure, though serious challenges around grid management and energy storage threaten to undermine further progress. From Israeli Innovation to National Standard Solar water heating arrived in Cyprus in the late 1960s when Israeli companies introduced the technology to the island. The timing proved fortunate. Many rural areas lacked electricity infrastructure, and solar thermal systems offered a practical solution for hot water without requiring grid connections. The technology was remarkably simple: solar panels heat water that circulates through copper pipes into an insulated storage tank. Within two hours of installation, households had access to free hot water powered entirely by sunshine. This simplicity drove rapid adoption across both…

Read more
Marion Polis Chrysochous

Marion Polis Chrysochous

On the northwest coast of Cyprus, the small town of Polis Chrysochous sits on top of two ancient cities. Most people who pass through treat it as a quiet stop on the way to the Akamas Peninsula. Few realise that beneath the modern streets, beneath the cafes and the central square, there are over 3,000 years of history. The town is built directly on the ruins of Marion, one of the ten city-kingdoms of ancient Cyprus, and its later successor, Arsinoe. The name "Chrysochous" itself is a clue. It comes from the Greek word "chrysos," meaning gold. This was not a random choice. It was a city that made its name from the ground beneath it. Historical Background The earliest traces of human activity in the area date back to the Neolithic period. The land was occupied long before anyone thought to build a city. According to ancient literary sources recorded by the Byzantine writer Stephanos Vyzantios, Marion was founded by a legendary king called Marieas. Tradition also connects the area to Akamas, the son of the Athenian hero Theseus, who is said to have passed through the region after the Trojan War and gave his name to the nearby cape and peninsula. By the 8th century BC, Marion had grown into a formal city-kingdom. It sat on two low…

Read more