The Royal Apollonia in house magazine (issue 3, summer 2017) (issue 3, summer 2017) | Page 17

HISTORY
gastronomy. The only way to actually
experience that is to visit and treat
your taste buds with food that has been
evolved, improved and passed down
through a number of generations.
Tourist spots such as Baths of Aph-
rodite, The Tombs of the Kings, and
Paphos Archaeological Park are only
but a few of the vast places that would
surely attract history aficionados. And
all these were not built overnight.
Traveling back to this country’s capti-
vating history is indeed well worth the
time.
CYPRUS BECAME AN
INDEPENDENT REPUBLIC
ON AUGUST 16, 1960,
AND BECAME A MAJOR
TOURIST DESTINATION
IN THE MEDITERRANEAN.
IT HAS BEEN A PART OF
THE EUROPEAN UNION
AS WELL SINCE MAY 2004.
Ancient Cyprus
Cyprus is known as the “Island of
Love”. One would wonder how this
came to be, but actually, the reason be-
hind this is plain and simple. According
to mythology, Aphrodite, the ancient
Greek goddess of love and beauty was
born from the foam of the sea on the
South-Western coast of Cyprus. Dur-
ing 7000-6000 BCE, there had already
been inhabitants on this island. During
this Neolithic era, a flourishing trade
in copper was established and although
Who could have guessed that this
peaceful place was once a battlefield
to conquerors from different nations?
It has indeed aged gracefully
this could have been a good thing, it
got Cyprus the attention of stronger
countries that were looking to expand
their territories.
With its strategic location and abun-
dance of valuable resources, conquerors
came and left the country, one after
another.
Classical Cyprus
Around 546 BCE, the Persians curi-
ously arrived on the island. Cypriot
kings were astonishingly frien dly to
the Persians when they heard that King
Cyrus of Persia was sailing towards
the west. They willingly surrendered
their land and kingdom to the Persians
which marked the start of their long
peaceful time in Cyprus.
It wasn’t until the arrival of Al-
exander the Great that the island of
Cyprus got liberated from the Persians
once again. This led to the next era in
Cyprian history which is the Hellen-
istic period. This was when arts blos-
somed, culture flourished, and people's
lifestyle changed.
Roman Cyprus
The Romans came and turned Cyprus
into their province in 58 BCE and this
occupation lasted for three long centu-
ries. This is one of the reasons why Cy-
prus has remains of vast Roman influ-
ence in its culture which of course, in-
cludes religion. Christianity eventually
spread and got accepted by the Cypriots
all over the country through the works
of the apostles Paul and Varnavas.
Eventually, after the division of Ro-
man Empire, the Eastern Roman Empire
took over Cyprus, and thus happened
the birth of the Byzantine Empire.
Cyprus was looked after by the Byz-
antine Empire fairly well, but the Arabs
decided to invade this beautiful island
shortly after this. It was in the 650’s
when the Arabs waged destructive raids
T H E R O YA L A P O L L O N I A M A G A Z IN E • 2017 summer edition
upon Cyprus. However, in the year
688, the emperor of the Byzantine Em-
pire and caliph Abd al-Malik of Arabia
finally agreed to jointly rule Cyprus.
This lasted for another 277 years.
Modern Cyprus
Now, take a look at the harmonious
ambiance surrounding Cyprus today.
Who could have guessed that this
peaceful place was once a battlefield
for conquerors from different nations?
It has indeed aged gracefully. Cyprus
became an independent republic on
August 16, 1960, and became a major
tourist destination in the Mediterrane-
an. It has been a part of the European
Union as well since May 2004.
The years of history that this island has
endured, have made modern Cyprus very
enriching.. From arts to music to culture
and cuisine, this country has surpassed
many challenges that have moulded Cy-
prus into what it has become now. ■
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