© Lonely Planet Publications 268 269 C y p r u s Kuπρος, Kibris HIGHLIGHTS Kourion Near Lemesos, this is a top spot for history buffs keen on Cyprus’ ruins ( p274 ); another is Salamis in Northern Cyprus ( p274 ) Troodos Mountains The Byzantine churches and monasteries of the Troodos are illuminated by glorious frescoes ( p275 ) Best journey Driving past ruined basilicas and untouched beaches to the tip of the Karpas Peninsula ( p277 ) Off-the-beaten track Share gorgeous Altinkum Beach ( p277 ) with nobody but the turtles FAST FACTS Area 9250 sq km (about 30 Maltas). ATMs Widespread Budget CY£20-40/TL50-90 per day Capital Republic of Cyprus: Lefkosia; North Cyprus: Lefkoşa Country Codes Republic of Cyprus: %357; North Cyprus: %90 392 Famous For beaches, mezes, mosaics and monasteries Head of State Republic of Cyprus: Tassos Papadopoulos; North Cyprus: Mehmet Ali Talat Phrases Republic: yasas (hello), signomi Languages Greek; Turkish (excuse me), poso kani? (how much?); Money Republic of Cyprus: Cyprus Northern Cyprus: merhaba (hello), affeders- Pound (CY£); North Cyprus: Turk- iniz (excuse me), ne kadar? (how much?) ish Lira (TL); A$1=CY£0.34/TL1.14, Population 780,130 (plus 120,000 Turkish CA$1=CY£0.41/TL1.39; €1=CY£0.57/TL1.91; settlers in North Cyprus) Yen100=CY£0.40/TL1.34; NZ$1=CY£0.28/ Time GMT/UTC + 2 TL0.93; UK£1=CY£0.84/TL2.81; US$1=CY£0.45/TL1.49 Visas None required for most nationalities TRAVEL HINTS Eat where the locals eat – the best tavernas are simple, rustic and crowded with Cypriots. ROAMING CYPRUS In the south, ruins in Pafos, museums in Lefkosia and monasteries in the Troodos. In the north, Girne and the Karpas Peninsula. CYPRUS CYPRUS Cyprus is an island with a split personality. Divided into Greek and Turkish enclaves since 1974, Cyprus is famous as a summer destination for British sun-seekers, who devote more time to the beaches and bars than history and culture. But look past the sun umbrellas and banana-boat rides and you’ll find another Cyprus: the legendary birthplace of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, alive with ancient ruins, monasteries and historic mosques. CYPRUS 270 0 50 km CYPRUS 0 30 miles To Mersin CYPRUS To Alanya To Tašucu (Turkey) Zafer Burnu (Cape (Turkey) (Turkey) Aphendrika Apostolos Andreas) Oasis Apostolos Andreas Monastery Hasan's Turtle Beach M E D I T E R R A N E A N Ayios Filon Altinkum Dipkarpaz (Golden) S E A Karpas (Rizokarpaso) Beach Yeni ErenköyὄPeninsula ὄ Koruçam Burnu (Cape Kormakitis) Kantara Girne Lapta (Kyrenia) NORTH Akdeniz Cape Elaia (Ayia Irini) St Hilarion CYPRUS Bellapais Kyrenia Famagusta (Pentadactylos) Bufavento UN Buffer Zone Bay Güzelyurt Mountains North (Morfou) Agios Dometios (Nicosia) Ledra Palace Mesaoria Morfou Checkpoint Plain Salamis Kato Bay Pyrgos Astromeritis Cape Soli South Ercan Arnaoutis Airport Gazimaÿusa Chrysochou (Nicosia) (Famagusta) Bay Baths of UN Buffer Zone Agios Vrysoulles Aphrodite Kykkos Nikolaos Lara Beach Latsi Polis Monastery tis Stegis REPUBLIC Dhekelia UK Protaras (Turtle Beach) Kykkos Pedoulas OF CYPRUS Sovereign Base (1318m) Kakopetria Akamas Agia ὄὄὄ Archangelos Olympus Larnaka Cape Greko Peninsula Napa (1952m) Bay Avakas Gorge Agros Plateia Stavrovouni Larnaka Platres Troodos Monastery Troodos (689m) Hala Sultan Tekke Pano Salt Lake Omodos Massif Lefkara Tombs of Larnaka Coral the Kings International Bay Airport Ano Pafos TURKEY Tašucu Kato Pafos Mersin Kouklia Sanctuary of Alanya Aphrodite's Apollon Ylatis Lemesos Kalymnos Beach (Limassol) ὄ Sanctuary Pafos Governor's Rhodes SYRIA Kolossi (Cruise lonelyplanet.com International Beach Crete Airport (Cruise Kourion Akrotiri Ship CYPRUS Petra Tou Bay Route Romiou Pissouri Episkopi Haifa Bay Salt Ship JORDAN Beach Only) Akrotiri UK Lake ISRAEL Sovereign Base Route EGYPT Only) To Rhodes (Greece); Piraeusὄ (Greece) To Haifa (Israel) closer to reunification and travellers can now cross between the two sides just by showing cannowcrossbetween thetwosidesjustbyshowing andtravellers closer toreunification Cyprus, while travellers to the north can visit incredible Byzantine and Graeco-Roman ByzantineandGraeco-Roman tothenorthcanvisitincredible Cyprus, whiletravellers North Turkish andCrusader andFrankish ruinsof thebeaches abletoexplore Cyprusare of Republic totheGreek visitors timeinageneration, Forthefirst their passportsattheborder. lonelyplanet.com entered the EU alone in May 2004. Sincethen theEU aloneinMay entered Cypriots. Greek of by75% TurkishCypriotsandrejected 65% of by perhaps unsuprisingly itwasaccepted – Turkey of infavour skewed was heavily buttheagreement endum onreunification, refer- withaUN-sponsored presented were adividedisland.In2004bothsides remains plundered. were sites andarchaeological monasteries churches, of andhundreds mainland Turkey from was flooded withsettlers The area fromthenorth. removed were culture Greek states. into TurkishandGreek andpartitionedtheisland interceded UN later The their homesandkillingthousands more. Cypriotsfrom island, driving180,000Greek the invadedthenorthernthirdof Turkey and a coupagainsttheCypriotgovernment 1960. independencetoCyprusinAugust granted Britain violence. finally intercommunal of decades triggering force tosubduetheGreeks, Cypriotpolice Britain aTurkish appointed Inresponse, rule andunionwithGreece. manded Cypriotpopulationde- Greek the majority 300 years. in 1571anddominatingCyprusforthenext gusta. Thisdidn’tstoptheOttomansinvading wallsaroundLefkosiabuilt huge andFama- who Gothic cathedrals;andtheVenetians, numerous castles;theFranks,whoerected the island. across andmonasteries who builtchurches by theRomansandthenByzantines, to 2500BC, over buttheislandwastaken back inCyprusdates culture times. Greek sinceancient empires pawn inthegamesof location,Cyprushasbeen with astrategic a butcursed Blessed withnaturalresources HISTORY inthesouth. treasures The last few years have seen inCypriotpolitics. Theislandisedgingever asea have years change The lastfew As a result, the southern Republic of Cyprus thesouthern Republicof aresult, As Cyprus UNresolutions, aseriesDespite of Over thefollowingdecades,alltracesof whoconstructed Next cametheCrusaders, On 15 July 1974, Greek forces launched forceslaunched On 15July1974,Greek soldCyprustoBritain but In 1878Turkey enosis – enosis CYPRUS ••History independence from foreign independence fromforeign resources. strainonnatural expat villas,puttingahuge vanishing underasea newlyconstructed of theisland are Beach onbothsidesof resorts Cyprusfromthenorth. vides theRepublicof Line –theUN-patrolledbuffer zonethatdi- Republic. Alesstangible divideistheGreen the of inthecentre and theTroodosMassif dactylos) Mountains inNorthernCyprus (Penta- Cyprus isdividedbytheKyrenia ENVIRONMENT aroundtheisland. scattered timesare Roman, ByzantineandFrankish acrossCyprus.Ruinsfrom and monasteries dating backtothe12thcenturyinchurches youcansee iconsandfrescoes; examples of Cyprusistheproduction art of The definitive ARTS andMuslimminorities. Maronite withRomanCatholic, Orthodox, 94% Greek population isSunniMuslim,whilethesouth tolian settlersfromtheTurkishmainland. byAna- outnumbered population isheavily the south.Innorth,TurkishCypriot in Cypriotslive Since partition,most Greek THE CULTURE as anewmemberstate. carpet intheEU’senthusiasmtosignTurkey theirstruggleriots fear willbesweptunderthe Cyp- Greek Many controversial. tion remains eased, butreunifica- have border restrictions More than 99% of theNorthernCyprus than99%of More Papadakis. in isexplored of Cyprus,whilereconciliation Americancollusioninthepartition plores and IanCraig’s O’Malley Brendan set aroundBellapais. Cyprus ColinThubron’s Cyprus, read To understandthegloryofundivided READING UP Echoes fromtheDead Zone, or Lawrence Durrell’s Durrell’s or Lawrence The Cyprus Conspiracy CyprusConspiracy The Bitter Lemons, Journey into Journey into by Yiannis byYiannis ex- 271 CYPRUS CYPRUS 272 TRANSPORT •• Getting There & Away lonelyplanet.com lonelyplanet.com THE REPUBLIC OF CYPRUS •• Lefkosia (South Nicosia) 273 Access to Lefkosia is by road as its airport TRANSPORT EMERGENCY NUMBERS no longer functions. SPLURGE Ambulance, fire or police (Republic of The city centre is Plateia Eleftherias by The excellent Zanettos Taverna (%2276 GETTING THERE & AWAY Cyprus) %112 or %199 the city walls, Lidras St is the main shopping 5501; Trikoupi 65; meze CY£7.50; hfrom 7pm) Most travellers arrive by air, but there are also street and most tourist attractions are tucked only serves one meal, but it does it bril- Ambulance (North Cyprus) %112 ferries to the north from Turkey. away on the alleys leading down to the Green liantly. The house meze is a veritable feast Police (North Cyprus) %155 Line. of souvlakia, seftalias, haloumi, keftedes Air (meatballs) and other Cypriot specialities. The Republic’s international airports are at Information Larnaka and Pafos. There are regular scheduled GETTING AROUND Plateia Eleftherias has banks, the main post and charter flights from Europe and the Mid- Inexpensive buses link the major cities, except office and numerous payphones. Delphi Hotel (%2266 5211; Kostaki Pantelidi 24; s/d dle East with Cyprus Airways (CY; %2266 3054; www on Sunday. Shared service taxis cover similar Cyprus Tourist Organisation (CTO; %2267 4264; CY£17/22; a) Close to Plateia Solomou bus stand, .cyprusairways.com) and other carriers. routes for similar prices. [email protected]; Aristokyprou; h8.30am-4pm Mon-Fri, the Delphi has inviting, angular rooms that are Flights to Ercan airport in North Cyprus Cheap car and motorbike