Foinikas Revisited
Published 3rd of October, 2017
Underneath The Arches
Sure enough, this particular building does have a big archway in it.
Where's Wallace?
And there's the grommet, for hanging the lamp.
Fallen Arches?
But that's it. No more houses have arches like that. And if I look at the website the quote is from, all the pictures of arches are actually the same arch from different angles. What's more, there is only the one house with a special oven like that.
And on top of that, if you take a drive over to the next valley, Esouza, and drive up the middle of it, turning right when you get to the top, rather than left to Kallepia, you eventually come to another, smaller abandoned village (Pitargou) which is now a working farm, with a loud, yappy dog. So what, you may ask? Well, when I was having a nose around (without getting too close to the possessive pooch) I snapped a few pictures which will no doubt become another blog in the future. One of those pictures showed an identical arch.
So while there is quite clearly plenty of evidence that parts of Foinikas are much older that the 20th century, I remain to be convinced about the accuracy of a lot of what has been written.
But who cares? Foinikas is a fascinating place in it's own right. You should visit it for the history you can see and touch. It doesn't need to present anything more than that.
Towards The Mosque
So, while we aren't surrounded by lots of identical buildings, there are certainly buildings from a variety of ages dotted around the place. The newer buildings seem to be further away from the water.
Inner Courtyard
This shot is of the inner courtyard of the castle. I call it a castle because that is what I have seen it referred to elsewhere. The main building in the castle was the arched one we already featured. The one in this photo is at the opposite side. It looks more modern, as if bits of it have been tacked on at a much later date.
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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.
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There are also several maps which will help you keep your bearings.
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