Kato Arodes Cemetery
Last year we blogged about Kato Arodes. It is an old Turkish Cypriot village that refused to die after 1974. At the time, we were unaware it had a cemetery, but the other day we noticed a couple of gravestones in a copse, as we were passing through, and stopped to take a look...
New Walls

We were driving back from the Akamas, and for some reason I turned left when I would normally turn right coming into Pano Arodes. This brought us to this copse, on the outskirts of Kato Arodes.
Doomed Tomb

There were a number of tombs in the copse, so I assumed it was an old cemetery. They weren't in a very good condition, but the front wall looked new, so the area is being looked after.

When I was a child I used to think that the deceased person would be contained within the actual tomb. I don't think that is the case with this sort of grave though. I have seen several with broken tops that are in fact hollow shells.

Up until this point I was unsure as to whether this was an old Christian or Muslim graveyard.
Ruhuna Fatiha

This grave answered my question. "RUHUNA FATIHA" has appeared in our blogs before. Indeed, I googled it, and one of the results was from the blog I wrote about Melandra:
"We found similar graves in Vretsia. 'Ruhuna Fatiha' appears frequently on Turkish graves, and is basically a request for you to say a prayer to God on behalf of the person who's grave you are looking at. "
It looks like Besim died fairly young, just after his 20th birthday. Apparently, Merhum is a surname, in case you were wondering why I didn't call him that.
Page 1 of 3

Related Blogs:

Kato Arodes
Kato Arodes is the sister village to Pano Arodes, which we recently visited. The main difference is that Kato Arodes was Turkish Cypriot before the troubles began. However, while there are signs of abandonment in places, the village certainly isn't dead...
Chrysochou Cemetery
If you drive along the B7 towards Polis, pay attention as you pass by Chrysochou. On your right, through the trees, you will be able to make out some strange stone shapes. One day recently, while we were preparing for our recent Chrysochou blog, we decided to investigate further...
Fasoula
Fasoula is nestled in the Diarizos Valley, between the abandoned villages of Souskiou and Maronas. We visited it in the Spring time, but have saved the blog for now, so you can remember how green Cyprus was just a few months ago, as you sit by the pool relaxing in the summer heat...
Abandoned Villages - Melandra
We first stumbled upon Melandra last Autumn. We were trying to find an interesting route from Pano Panagia to Polis, and having visited a number of isolated villages, decided to venture off-road. The countryside at the time was very brown and arid. So when we revisited the village this May, we hardly recognised the place.Good Pages To Visit

FB PagePaphos Life on Facebook
Like us on Facebook and stay notified of new blog posts.

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.
