THE CHYPRE SCENT
INSPIRED BY THE SLAND OF CYPRUS The world-famous fragrance Chypre was created in 1917 by French perfumer François Coty. Inspired by the island of Cyprus, the composition is based on…
THE VENETIAN BRIDGES OF CYPRUS
THE ARCHITECTURAL MARVEL OF THE RENAISSANCE A TRADING EMPIRE AT ITS CORE The medieval Venetian bridges of Cyprus are historic, mainly single-arch stone structures, built during the Venetian era of…
YELLOW POST BOXES
WHY ARE CYPRUS POST BOXES PAINTED YELLOW? The standard British Royal Mail system was introduced to Cyprus after it became a British colony in the latter part of the 19th…
WHO WERE THE PHOENICIANS OF CYPRUS?
BASED ACROSS THE LEVANTINE COAST DESCENDANTS OF CANAANITES The Phoenicians were an ancient Semitic-speaking thalassocratic civilisation that inhabited city-states in Canaan along the Levantine coast, which spans modern-day Lebanon, coastal…
AN ANCIENT SICILIAN CONNECTION
CYPRUS & SICILY A CONTINUOUS MEDITERRANEAN LINK It has emerged that the people of both Cyprus and Sicily share deep historical, maritime, and genetic connections, spanning prehistory through to the…
THE IMAGE OF APHRODITE IN ANCIENT SCULPTURE
INSPIRED BY A CYPRUS BEAUTY Inspiring Aphrodite Works of Art Born from the foamy waters by APHRODITE’S ROCK in Cyprus, the accepted contemporary image of Aphrodite, the goddess of love…
IT’S ALL IN THE NAME
SHAPED BY GREEK SPEAKING PEOPLE Although Cypriot surnames today are shaped by the island’s prominent Greek Cypriot language, sustained Latin rule, a brief yet poignant Ottoman history, and then the…
THE CITY-KINGDOMS OF ANCIENT CYPRUS
HOW THINGS ONCE WERE A REMARKABLE FEATURE OF THE ISLAND’S HISTORY Retaining local coinage and autonomy, the 10 recognised ancient city-kingdoms of Cyprus were successful Iron Age polities ruled by…
THE HAUNTING OF THE BERENGARIA HOTEL
ARE THERE REALLY GHOSTS AT BERENGARIA? NAMED IN HONOUR OF A QUEEN Located near the village of Prodromos, in the Limassol district of the Troodos Mountains, the Berengaria Hotel has…
THE DRAGOMAN OF CYPRUS
SKILLED CULTURAL MEDIATORS & POLITICAL NAVIGATORS WHAT IS A DRAGOMAN? The Ottoman Empire at its height was vast conquering several lands and many peoples. As their empire grew, the Ottomans…