Walking in Cyprus. Nike Werstroh
means copper, and refers to the fact that copper was abundant here, however it is unknown whether the island was named after the metal or the metal after the island. In earlier times the metallic copper was found on the surface. Copper was reduced to metal as pine resins in groundwater mixed with copper sulphate. Cyprus supplied the ancient world with weapons-grade copper, which was used to make swords and shields. When the copper was no longer to be found on the surface, Cypriots discovered that if cuprous earth and umber were mixed and then heated, they could get melted copper. Smelting began in 2760BC. Cyprus was an ideal place for mining and smelting as the island had all the necessary natural resources. The forests provided wood to fire the furnaces: they had to be replanted to meet demand, but the rainfall in the mountains made cultivation possible. Copper has been mined on Cyprus for 4000 years, producing millions of tons of slag. This used to be used to build roads but today the slag-heaps are protected monuments.
Cyprus was part of the Persian Empire and was only released from it in 333BC with Alexander the Great’s victory over the Persian ruler Darius III. The island then became part of the Greek Empire. When Alexander died in 323BC, Cyprus was taken over by Egypt and became part of the Hellenistic Egypt under Ptolemy I, and the island’s capital was moved from Salamis to Paphos.
In 58BC the Roman Empire annexed Cyprus and the following 600 years passed under Roman rule. There are many ruins of buildings and mosaics from this period which can still be seen today, such as the mosaics excavated at the Paphos Archaeological Site by the harbour of Kato Paphos.
Christianity appeared on the island in AD45 when Apostle Paul started spreading the new religion. The Church of Cyprus was set up by apostles and Cyprus became ‘the Island of Saints’.
When the Roman Empire was divided in AD395, Cyprus came under the eastern half – the Byzantine Empire. During the Byzantine period (4th–12th century), many impressive churches were built and remarkable frescos were painted, such as at Agios Nikolaos tis Stegis (Walk 12), Asinou church (Walk 21) and Panagia tou Araka church (Walk 22).
The growing Islamic empire started to attack Byzantine lands in the 7th century; Cyprus, located between the two empires, was also attacked and many coastal settlements were destroyed in AD647. Castles and fortifications were built to protect the land from Arab attacks, and the ruins of St Hilarion, Buffavento and Kantara castles (Walks 36, 37 and 43) in the Kyrenia mountains are still visited by many.
Dramatic view of the Kyrenia range from Buffavento Castle (Walk 37)
The Middle Ages
On his third crusade, between 1189 and 1192, bad weather forced Richard the Lionheart’s fleet to dock in Limassol. There, Isaak Komninos – emperor of Cyprus at the time – tried to capture King Richard’s fiancée, Berengaria of Navarre, and his sister. In response, King Richard marched on Limassol and Komninos fled to Kantara Castle. In 1191 Richard married Berengaria in Limassol Castle, and Cyprus became the only foreign country where an English royal wedding was held.
Richard stayed in Cyprus for a year and during that time he conquered the entire island and then sold it to the Knights Templar. However, the Knights couldn’t afford to keep the island and in turn sold it to Guy de Lusignan in 1192. From then until 1474 Cyprus was ruled by Lusignan descendants. Bellapais Abbey and many other splendid buildings were built during this period.
The last Lusignan king, James II, married a Venetian noblewoman who handed Cyprus over to Venice. The island was under Venetian rule from 1489 to 1571. Cyprus played an important role for the Venetians as a trading route and was used as a defence against the threatening Ottoman Empire. Forts were built around the big cities such as Famagusta/Mağusa and Nicosia/Lefkoşa.
Roudia Bridge, built by the Venetians, connects the two banks of the Xeros River (Walk 9)
In 1570–71 Famagusta was attacked by the Ottomans and a year later the city fell. With this, a new era began in the island’s history: Turkish settlers arrived on the island and for almost 300 years Cyprus was controlled by the Ottomans.
While the Ottomans left the Greek orthodox churches intact, they converted some of the Gothic Catholic churches into mosques – for example the Lala Mustafa Pasha mosque in Famagusta – and their influence on the culture and architecture of the island is still very much in evidence.
20th century
The origin of the campaign for enosis (union with Greece) can be traced back to the Greek War of Independence (1821–32) when the Greeks fought for their independence from the Ottoman Empire. Some Greek Cypriots also rebelled, but the Ottomans executed 486 Greek Cypriots – accused of conspiring with the Greeks – on 9 July 1821. The desire to become part of Greece grew stronger when Greece became independent in 1830, but Cyprus remained under Ottoman control until 1878, when it came under British control. The British assumed administrative responsibility while Turkey maintained sovereignty, then at the beginning of WWI Great Britain annexed Cyprus and from 1925 the island was a Crown Colony.
The Greek Cypriots had hoped that British control would eventually help them achieve enosis. However, impatience grew and the Ethniki Organosi tou Kyprakou Agona (EOKA – National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters) was founded with the intention of ending British rule and achieving enosis. Between 1955 and 1958 EOKA carried out a series of attacks on the British military.
Turkish Cypriots only comprised a 17% minority of the population and they feared that if Cyprus achieved a union with Greece they would be excluded. Therefore they demanded taksim (partition), to divide the island between Greece and Turkey.
In 1960 Cyprus finally became independent, with Archbishop Makarios III becoming the first president of the Republic of Cyprus, but in 1963 serious violence broke out and the tensions between Greek and Turkish Cypriots increased. In 1964 a UN peacekeeping force arrived in Cyprus. Major General Peter Young drew a green line on the map, dividing the capital, Nicosia, between the Greek and Turkish. This later became known as the ‘Green Line’ and went on to divide the whole island.
In 1974 the Greek Cypriots, supported by the military junta in Greece, carried out a coup. In response, Turkey invaded the island. By 16 August 1974 the northern part – 37% of the island – was controlled by Turkey. The 190,000 Greek Cypriots that lived in the northern areas left their homes and lost their land and businesses as they fled to the south. Meanwhile, 50,000 Turkish Cypriots moved from the south to Northern Cyprus. A number of people were killed and many disappeared during the conflict, and the UN has controlled and patrolled the Green Line – which runs across the entire island – ever since.
In 1983 the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus – a self-declared state recognised only by Turkey – was announced. In 2003, for the first time in almost 30 years, the border was opened, allowing Cypriots to visit the opposing parts. Since then several border crossing points have been opened, allowing Cypriots and tourists to travel around the island.
Cyprus joined the European Union as a de facto divided island in 2004. The whole of Cyprus is EU territory and Turkish Cypriots are classed as EU citizens as they are citizens of the Republic of Cyprus (an EU country) despite the fact that they live in a part of Cyprus that is not under the Republic’s government control. Since 2008 Southern Cyprus’ currency has been the euro, while in Northern Cyprus it is the Turkish lira. Today, Nicosia is the last divided capital in Europe.
Religion
Most Greek Cypriots (who make up nearly 80% of the island’s population) belong to the Orthodox Church of Cyprus, while most Turkish Cypriots are Sunni Muslims.
The Church of Cyprus is an autocephalous Greek Orthodox Church – meaning it has its own independent head bishop who does not report to any higher human authority. It is one of the oldest churches of this type. Ten of the churches built during the Byzantine period in the Troodos mountains are on the World Heritage List. Their steep-pitched wooden roofs are typical of the Troodos region, and some of the churches – for example Agios Nikolaos tis Tegis near Kakopetria –