Choirokoitia and Kato Paphos necropolis

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Choirokoitia

   Long before the Greeks, the Phoenicians or the Romans arrived in Cyprus, people lived on a hillside above the Maroni river in the southern part of the island, in round stone houses with flat roofs, packed close together inside a defensive wall. Choirokoitia is a Neolithic settlement dating back to around the seventh millennium BC, one of the most important prehistoric sites in the eastern Mediterranean. The inhabitants farmed, herded animals and buried their dead under the floors of their houses. Several of the round houses have been reconstructed near the entrance, giving a vivid sense of how they lived. The site received UNESCO recognition in 1998.

   Read the complete Choirokoitia write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Choirokoitia is where the day begins. Next is Church of Ayios Nikolaos.

2. 2. Church of Ayios Nikolaos

   Above the village of Kakopetria, on the slopes of the Troodos mountains in the middle of Cyprus, the Church of Ayios Nikolaos stands under a roof of its own. The name Agios Nikolaos tis Stegis means Saint Nicholas of the Roof, and the explanation is simple: the little Byzantine church was so precious, and the Troodos winters so wet, that a second, steeply pitched timber roof with tiles was built over the original to protect it. The church dates from around the eleventh century, and inside its walls are covered in frescoes from several different periods, from the Byzantine to the later Middle Ages.

   Read the complete Church of Ayios Nikolaos write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Church of Ayios Nikolaos comes up about 84 km into the recorded legs. Next is Kato Paphos necropolis.

3. 3. Kato Paphos necropolis

   The so-called Tombs of the Kings lie on the sea edge of Paphos, in the western corner of Cyprus, and the name is a bit of romance, because nobody royal was ever proven to be buried here. In fact the rock-cut tombs date to the Hellenistic and Roman periods, roughly the fourth century BC onward, and they were used by the high officials and wealthy citizens of Nea Paphos, the old capital of the island under the Ptolemies. The tombs are carved into the soft limestone, some with Doric columns around a central open court, so that you walk down a flight of steps into what looks like a sunken Greek house with a burial chamber on each side.

   Read the complete Kato Paphos necropolis write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   about 178 km into the recorded legs you reach Kato Paphos necropolis. Next is back through Church of Ayios Nikolaos.

4. 4. back through Church of Ayios Nikolaos

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Church of Ayios Nikolaos write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through Church of Ayios Nikolaos, late in the day. Next is Choirokoitia.

5. 5. Choirokoitia

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Choirokoitia write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Back at Choirokoitia. That is the ride.