Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
astery, so leave your camera behind. If you are a dedicated pilgrim (and male) you may be
invited, by the monks, to sleep the night, meditate and dine with them on their organically
grown produce.
The monastery is located 17km from Larnaka off the Nicosia-Lemesos motorway (A1).
Choirokoitia
Choirokoitia
ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE
(admission €2.50;
h
8.30am-5.30pm)
Occupying a well-defended hillside with a large perimeter wall, this small but well-pre-
served neolithic site is the earliest permanent human settlement found in Cyprus, dating
back to 7000 BC. A walkway guides you around the settlement starting at the foot of the
hill where reconstructions of huts, built by archaeologists, help visualise how
Choirokoitia's people would have lived. The best remains are on the hilltop where you can
also see sparse remnants of the settlement's walls.
Choirokoitia is believed to have been established by peoples from Anatolia and Asia
Minor. The remains of over 50 cylindrical stone and mud dwellings have been discovered,
along with prehistoric utensils, indicating that the Choirokoitians practised a sophisticated
lifestyle that included well-developed hunting and farming. They also appear to have bur-
ied their dead under the floors of their dwellings, as indicated by the remains of over 20
skeletons including those of infants.
The site's significance in our understanding of neolithic culture was recognised in 1998
when it was added to the Unesco World Heritage List.
Choirokoitia is located 32km from Larnaka, just off the main Larnaka-Lemesos high-
way. If you continue a further 10km towards Lemesos, you can see the neolithic site at
Tenta
(Kalavasos), easily recognisable by the huge cone-shaped tent shielding it from the
elements. It is a simpler version of Choirokoitia but just as important archaeologically.
Lefkara
Pop 1100
During the Renaissance, with an affluent population of nearly 5000, this mountain village
combining Pano and Kato Lefkara was one of the island's largest and most influential
towns. It was already famous for its exquisite lace, handcrafted by the village women
since medieval times, and for the men's fine silverwork, incorporating lacing techniques
with silver smithing.
