Nea Paphos and Suburbs

A few years after the independence of the Cypriot kingdoms, around 312 BC, Nikokles, King of Paphos, founded the coastal city, Nea Paphos, at the westernmost end of the island about 16km northwest of Palaepaphos which became the new capital of his kingdom. Simultaneously, he restored the city wall of Palaepaphos, that had been destroyed by the Persians. The basic reason for the choice of this coastal area for the foundation of Nea Paphos was its natural port as well as its bordering on the forested regions on the southwestern locality of Troodos, that composed an inexhaustible source of wealth, because of the prodigious timber that was uninterruptedly exported to the bordering countries, used for shipbuilding and smelting of copper.

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While you are absorbing all that, follow the path down by the railings.

At the beginning of the 2nd century BC the administrative, economic and cultural centre of Cyprus transferred from Salamis to Nea Paphos and so the city of the last king from Kinyras' dynasty became the capital of the whole island. The new Paphian city retained this status throughout the Roman period in Cyprus. The main two reasons for changing the Cypriot capital from Salamis to Paphos were first the shorter distance from Nea Paphos to Alexandria, the capital of the Ptolemaic state, and second the silting up of the harbour of Salamis, causing it to become unusable.

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This caught my eye. From a distance it looked like the sort of water feature you find all over the Cyprus countryside. However, the lighthouse exhibition mentioned fish farms, which looked kind of similar to this. However, looking at the picture again, I tend to think it is a more modern construction. If anybody knows for sure what it is please let us know.

According to the map on Page 62 of the book, this is the North West Gate to Nea Paphos. What's left of it, anyway. It is worth walking down because if you then turn round you get an excellent view of the wall. If you are adventurous you can wonder through the undergrowth to the walls themselves, though please do be on the lookout for snakes. Once you get to the walls you will find all sorts of nooks and crannies. There is even a cave which takes you to the other side of the wall. You will have walked over the roof of this cave on your way down, if you wondered what that chasm you stepped over was.

Many of the ruins of Nea Paphos' defensive wall are visible at various points along the perimeter. Although the superstructure of the wall has almost been completely destroyed, the rock-cut depressions of its foundations as well as the lower parts of its wall at its northern and northwestern edges have been preserved almost untouched by the ravages of time.

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