Abandoned Villages - Agios Theodoros
Sad View
Politically in 1964, the Government was split between the TC and GC factions. Disagreements resulted in the escalation of the Cypriot intercommunal violence, reinforced by pre-existing nationalist sentiments on both sides, including a Turkish desire for "Taksim" (or division of the island into Turkish and Greek portions), and a Greek desire for "Enosis" (or union of the entire island with Greece). The main proponents of this violence were the Turkish Resistance Organisation (TMT), and the Greek Cypriot paramilitaries EOKA B.
To cut a long story short (see the Wikipedia article above for more information), the GC became aware that the TC settlements were getting weapons smuggled in from Turkey, and wanted to put a stop to this. There was a seige, and Turkey intervened. Several villages were flattened, including Pachyammos. During the battle, Agios Theodoros was evacuated.
Steps
It's such a shame, as this must have been a lovely place to live. It does explain though, why there are so many army bases around. To get here you will have driven past numerous GC bases, a UN base, and a Turkish base.
Anyway, I walked along the nature trail up to this tree. There was a small round building behind it that was probably an oven.
Village Outskirts
Beyond the tree there was one final group of buildings. There were more on the other side of the valley though, so we shall go an have a quick look at them as well. First though, I want to examine the buildings a bit more.
Through The Square Window
Here's a suitably artistic shot looking through one of the windows. Look how the walls differ from what we are used to though. There are a lot more filler stones than we have come to expect.
Wall Close-Up
You can see it more clearly here. Normally in (at least our end of) Cyprus you get walls made out of big rocks. There are the occasional filler pebbles used to provide insulation and to stop snakes going through the cracks. But these rocks have lots of pebbles. I guess though that it could just be more noticable here, because of the darker coloured large rocks. And look! Some of them are dung-coloured!
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MapAgios Theodoros
The stretch of land between Pacchyammos and Kato Pyrgos, on the Northern Coast of the Paphos District, has had a troubled past. In the Sixties, inter-communal fighting resulted in a number of abandoned villages. You can pass through most of these if you drive along the coast road. But to find Agios Theodoros, you have to know where to look....
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eBookCyprus Road Trip 01: the Kathikas - Panagia Loop
Let me take you on a journey around the region of Paphos, Cyprus. Starting at Paphos itself, we travel to Akoursos, then Kathikas, Kritou Terra and Simou. We continue past Lasa and Kannaviou, before taking in the delights of Panagia. Getting a bit more adventurous, we visit the abandoned villages of Statos and Agios Fotios, before passing through Choulou, Letymbou and Polemi, and rejoining the main Paphos - Polis road.
The route is suitable for all types of vehicle, and requires no off-roading. The guide contains about 130 photographs including shots of all the road signs you need to pay attention to, as well as some of the highlights you may experience along the way.
There are also several maps which will help you keep your bearings.
You can do this journey in a day, or you can break it up into chunks. You can also do it in reverse, to get some completely different views. It is entirely up to you.
