Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The courtyard is home to some Medieval tomb stone exhibits and old cannons and you
can climb up onto the ramparts for coastal views. The room on your right as you enter was
where the British carried out executions during their rule over Cyprus.
There is a small and rather forlorn
Medieval Museum
with displays from the Hala
Sultan Tekke and ancient Kition in the fort's upper-level room.
During summer the impressive courtyard is used for concerts and cultural events, which
are heavily advertised on the Finikoudes.
Grand Mosque
MOSQUE
Located at the beginning of Larnaka's Turkish quarter, with its maze of sleepy white-
washed streets, the Grand Mosque is the spiritual home of Larnaka's Muslim community.
Left untouched when the Turkish community dispersed in 1974, it now predominantly
serves Muslims from North Africa.
Originally built in the 16th century as the Latin Holy Cross Church, it was converted
into a mosque. The current construction is the result of 19th-century restoration. There is a
small graveyard in front, with gothic-looking tombstones.
Larnaka Archaeological Museum
MUSEUM
A stop on the Aphrodite Cultural Route, Larnaka's archaeological museum houses a wide
collection of pottery from ancient Kition and a reconstructed
neolithic tomb
from
Choirokoitia. Spread out over five rooms, the collection's highlights are its terracotta
votive figures.
Ancient Kition
ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE
(
GOOGLE MAP
;
Leoforos Arhiepiskopou Kyprianos; admission €2.50;
h
8.30am-5pm Mon-Fri Apr-Oct, shorter hours
rest of year)
A lot of the original city-
kingdom of Kition is still covered by present-day Larnaka. What is unearthed of the an-
cient city, referred to as Area II, is about 1km northwest of central Larnaka. The site ap-
pears sparse as you walk the raised runway that takes you over the remains of Cyclopean
walls. Most remarkable is what remains of the five temples (from the 13th century BC)
and ship depictions etched into the walls of the nearby ancient port. These confirmed that
the city was founded by sea-trading Mycenaeans.
Municipal Cultural Centre
MUSEUM
