Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Cycling in the area is easy because of the mostly gentle gradients, but bear in mind the
weather gets very hot in summer and the traffic on the main highways can be heavy and
dangerous.
Archeological Site
Ancient Tamassos HISTORIC SITE
(admission €2.50; h 9.30am-5pm Mon-Fri, 10am-3pm Sat & Sun Jun-Sep, shorter hours rest of the year)
Tamassos' main claim to fame was its seemingly endless supply of copper - the mineral
from which the name of Cyprus (Kypros in Greek; Kıbrıs in Turkish) is derived. A
copper-producing settlement here dates from at least the 7th century BC, and production
ran well into the Hellenistic period. Excavations of the remains of the citadel began in
1889 and, around this time, two tombs dating back to the 6th century BC were discovered,
which today comprise the site's major attraction.
Homer apparently mentioned Ancient Tamassos in The Odyssey, where it is referred to
as Temese. The goddess Athena says to Odysseus' son, Telemachus: 'We are bound for
the foreign port of Temese with a cargo of gleaming iron, which we intend to trade for
copper.' The site of this otherwise obscure and little-known city kingdom is on a small
hillside about 17km southwest of Nicosia next to the village of Politiko.
It is thought that the tombs probably contained the remains of the citadel's kings. Loot-
ers have long since spirited away the rich burial treasures that may once have been buried
here. You can even see a hole in the roof of the larger tomb showing where grave robbers
broke in. The walls are unusually carved in such a way as to imitate wood - a feature that
some archaeologists have linked to a possible Anatolian influence at the time of the citad-
el's zenith. Some theorists suggest that Tamassos was even part of the Hittite Empire.
Among the discoveries unearthen by archeologists on the larger site are three limesone
lions and two sphinxes which are on display at Nicosia's Cyprus Museum and a magnifi-
cent bronze head of Apollo, now in London's British Museum.
DRESS CODE FOR VISITING MOSQUES
If you are planning to visit a mosque or monastery anywhere on the island, be aware that modest dress is obligat-
ory. Neither men nor women should wear shorts or short-sleeved shirts and women, in particular, should cover up
as much as possible. The good news is that, increasingly, mosques and monasteries are supplying expansive
capes, or similar, for visitors to borrow free of charge - a veritable godsend if it's a hot sightseeing day.
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