Foinikas In Bloom
Published 19th of April, 2022
Wild Garlic
Clover
The one downside, or upside, depending on your point of view, is that close-ups don't really need commentary.
Two-tone Daisy
I am a big fan of multi-coloured flowers and Cyprus has a number of them.
Thistle Flower
Templar Towers
I think the oldest part of the village is closest to the lake. Looking at this shot, you could be forgiven for thinking that the buildings were built as lakeside properties. In actual fact, the water came after the village was abandoned. In 1974, Turkey invaded Cyprus, and the Turkish Cypriot (TC) communities in the South were moved to the Turkish occupied area in the North. The census from the time listed 235 residents, so it was quite populated. One thing it didn't have though, was electricity. Consequently, when the village was offered to Greek Cypriot (GC) citizens who had been displaced from the North, they weren't that keen to settle. Coupled with the construction of the dam, which began in 1978, the fate of Foinikas was sealed.
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Abandoned Villages - Foinikas
Foinikas has a special place in our family's hearts. It was the first abandoned village we explored in Cyprus, some ten years ago. We have returned to it each time we visited Cyprus, and consquently have more pictures than we could ever possibly want of the village and surrounding area. We posted some of them on our blog about the Asprokremmos Reservoir. We wanted some up-to-date photos for the Abandoned Village blog series. So last saturday we revisited Foinikas, and couldn't believe what we found when we got there...
Foinikas Revisited
When we first blogged about Foinikas it was springtime, and the abandoned village was bathed in a sea of yellow. It was always an essential destination on our holidays, but we had never been in Spring, so it came as a pleasant surprise. However, it made it difficult to explore, as you never know what you might tread on when you have to wade through thigh-high flowers. As frequently happens with our blogs, people posted more information about the site in the comments. So we decided to pay another visit a few days ago, and explore it in more depth...
Foinikas Heights
We love Foinikas, the abandoned village on the banks of the Asprokremmos Reservoir. We've already blogged about it twice though, so we thought we would take a look at some of the surrounding countryside, and see what else the valley has to offer. Hopefully we will show you that you can find stunning, remote scenery only a stones-throw from Paphos. You don't need to travel all the way to the Akamas or Troodos to lose yourself in rugged beauty...
Foinikas by the Lake
The abandoned village of Foinikas lies on the banks of the Asprokremmos Reservoir. Now that the waters are lapping at the village boundaries, we thought we would pay it another visit, to see how it looks now.
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While Paphos waits for the Asprokremmos Dam to overflow, we thought we might as well photograph the rest of the reservoir, which is to all intents and purposes, now full. So we set off to Foinikas looking for some beautiful landscape nature shots. We didn't get very far though...
Foinikas Views
We just can't keep away from Foinikas. Somebody posted some pics of the abandoned village on our Paphos Chat facebook group, and people were asking how to get there. We bumped an old blog showing the route, but decided that a film was also needed. While we were out shooting it, we decided to take some more shots, but this time we went for some outstanding views...Related Pages
MapFoinikas In Bloom
Foinikas is an abandoned village steeped in history, that lies on the banks of the Asprokremmos Reservoir, just to the East of Paphos. Current water levels make a visit a bit tricky, but if you perservere you will be rewarded by a sea of colour as the spring flowers bring the village to life.
Video ClipFrom Foinikas Heights To Nata
You won't find Foinikas Heights in any tour guide, but it is name I gave to the hillside to the West of Foinikas, on the Asprokremmos Reservoir. It is once of the nicest, most peaceful places I know in Cyprus.
Video ClipFrom Foinikas To Nata
In our last film we drove to Foinikas. Now, we continue our journey, first through the abandoned village, and then on up the Xeros Valley to Nata.
Video ClipDriving Off Road Through Foinikas
A quick clip of a drive through the abandoned village of Foinikas near Paphos, in the spring of 2018. The area is about to become a sea of yellow.
Video ClipDon't Go This Way!
This is a short clip attempting a track that I used last year but that had been eroded in the winter rain.
360 PanoramaFoinikas in Summer
A brief look at Foinikas on a late, summer afternoon. Abandoned in 1974, the village has a history dating back to the time of the Knights Templar.
Good Pages To Visit
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FB PageOur Facebook Chat Group
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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.
