The Abandoned Village of Theletra - Part 1
Mind Your Step
Yes, if you walk in the front door of one house, you may well see a hole leading to the house below it. So rule #1: watch where you are walking.
Authorised Holes
Now this was a puzzle though. It is, or was, a round hole, like a portal, going to the room below. We saw quite a few of these here. I think they are designed so that buildings can be shared or partitioned at will. I certainly don't think they were primitive toilets, as you would end up pooping on the room below.
The covered hole is between the two floors you can see here. I wanted to get to the lower room to see what was below the hole, but the only possible entrance, other than squeezing through that gap, was to throw myself through a load of brambles.
Down The Hill
As you enter Theletra properly, you will come across this interesting water feature. We'll have a closer look in a bit, but look behind it. There is an awful lot of rock up there. You wouldn't want that falling down on you.
But why would it collapse? Because of gypsum. There is a lot of gypsum in the rocks around here. Indeed, it stretches from the spa spring all the way to Amargeti. We have featured it in previous blogs, as if you find an exposed area you can see some beautiful crystals. The thing about gypsum though, is that it is soluble in water. So the nice solid rock may not be as solid as you think it is. Indeed, the road from Theletra to the B7 was cut off earlier in the year, due to a massive landslide that completely blocked the entire road. Check links below for more information...
Room With A View
So building a village in the side of a hill with a lot of gypsum in it is, in hindsight, not a very good idea. However, the houses do all have outstanding views.
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Related Blogs:
Abandoned Villages - Agios Fotios
Given that I wrote a blog about Statos last week, it would be unfair of me not to cover its close neighbour, Agios Fotios. Their histories are intertwined, as they were both abandoned for the same reason. Indeed, they merged to form a new, single town, called Statos Agios - Fotios. So what was left behind...
Abandoned Villages - Statos
Statos is unusual, as abandoned villages go. People deserted it not because of inter-communal fighting, but because of the threat of landslides. And then, no sooner had they emptied, some of the abandoned buildings were repopulated. Were villagers returning, or had outsiders moved in, prepared to take the risk of landslide?
Abandoned Villages - Evretou
Evretou is just off the B7 near Polis. It lies on the banks of the Evretou Reservoir, and is another sad testament to the troubles of 1974.
From Miliou To Theletra
While we were exploring the sulphur springs of Miliou a few weeks ago, we couldn't help but notice a village in the distance. When we realised that it was the abandoned village of Theletra, we were surprised, as we hadn't appreciated how close the two places were. So we thought we would find a scenic route between the two locations...
A Crystal Road Trip
Today Max takes us on a road trip around the Paphos district, to look at some of the fine crystal formations you can find by the roadside. He also shows you a nice vineyard where you can stop for a break and sample their wares...
The Crystal Hills of Polemi
We were introduced to the Crystal Hills a few years back. It was the first time we visited Polemi and we were on the hunt for geocaches. This particularly one was a near perfect example of what makes a good cache: an interesting location that we would have been unlikely to find had there not been a cache there. The only thing that let the cache down was it's size, but we won't go into that here. Instead we shall have a look at the terrain, and see why the cache was called "The Crystal Hill".Related Pages
MapThe Abandoned Village of Theletra - Part 1
Old Theletra was abandoned several decades ago. The threat of landslides drove the population up the hll to a new settlement. Since then the village has mainly been left to crumble, save for its church and a few buildings which are still inhabited. At first glance, there is not much to see here, aside from some picture-postcard views. But get adventurous, and there is a whole host of places to explore...
Good Pages To Visit
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FB PageOur Facebook Chat Group
Paphos Chat has been created for people who like our site and want to chat using Facebook. You can also easily upload photos of any size here. A lot of people are members of the Facebook chat group and the main forum. It's entirely up to you.
ListBlog Locations
Planning a day out? Then use our map of blog locations as a handy guide. Some of the places we visit our closer to each other than you might think, so take a look and start planning your next adventure...
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.
