Cyprus

Discover Cyprus

Fun Foods

Halloumi, Loukoumades, Souvlaki, Sheftalia, Bourekia, Loukoumi

This island has been conquered by basically everyone. Greeks, Phoenicians, Assyrians, Egyptians, Persians, Romans, Crusaders, Venetians, Ottomans, and British all took turns. Even Richard the Lionheart grabbed it while passing through on his way to a war.

Settlers arrived here over 10,000 years ago and built some of the earliest known villages in the Mediterranean. They discovered copper in the hills and mined so much of it that the island gave the metal its name.

Cyprus means "copper."

Greeks established city-kingdoms around 1200 BC. Alexander the Great added Cyprus to his empire. Rome made it a province and once gifted the whole island to Cleopatra. When Richard I of England conquered Cyprus in 1191, he sold it to fund his Crusade. The buyers ran it for 300 years.

The Ottomans seized Cyprus in 1571. Britain took control in 1878 and made it a colony. Cyprus declared independence on August 16, 1960.

Peace didn't last.

Greek Cypriots wanted to join Greece. Turkish Cypriots wanted separation or union with Turkey. A Greek coup in 1974 triggered a Turkish invasion. The island split in two. UN peacekeepers have patrolled the buffer zone for 50 years.

Today the evidence is everywhere.

Paphos has Roman villas with mosaic floors still intact after 2,000 years. Ancient Kourion sits on cliffs above the sea with a theater that still hosts performances. Nicosia is the world's last divided capital. You can cross the Green Line on foot and see how different the two sides feel.

Halloumi cheese squeaks when you bite it and doesn't melt when grilled. Kids find it fascinating. Souvlaki is grilled pork on skewers with pita and tzatziki. Koupepia are grape leaves stuffed with rice and meat. Loukoumades are fried dough drenched in honey.

Kataklysmos happens every June with water fights, boat races, and folk dancing. Limassol Carnival explodes each February with parades.