During the self-driving tour to six cities of Saidao, I took my AU-CM10s all the way to record
my travel experience. From time to time, I was shocked and touched by the buildings and
monuments left behind by different civilizations.
At this time, the camera will perfectly record every feeling I had at that time. Paphos in the
South and Famagusta in the north are two of the most concentrated and famous ancient
cities.
Located in the south of the island, Paphos was founded in 1400 BC and was once the capital
of the island. In the 3rd century BC, the tombs of the kings were the underground tombs of
the ancient nobles of Paphos, and also the most classic and magnificent monuments of
Paphos.
As many as 100 tombs were built underground along the coast. Some of them were directly
dug out of the rocks to form a Greek temple, just like a mysterious underground palace.
Especially after thousands of years of sea wind weathering, the walls are mottled, showing
the traces of years.
The main existing remains of Paphos Archaeological Park are the ruins of the Roman Empire
in the 2nd-3rd century A.D. four villas of large families at that time, the mosaic paintings on
the ground are particularly exquisite.
In 1961, a local farmer stumbled upon it while ploughing, making it a remarkable
archaeological site. Therefore, UNESCO listed the whole city as a world cultural heritage
site.
The Dionysian house in Paphos Archaeological Park is the gathering place of the
masterpieces of mosaic mosaic paintings. It is said that this villa is the villa of a vineyard
owner.
It is named after the mosaic images of ancient Greek mythology are pasted on the
ground of more than 40 rooms from the living room to the living room to the kitchen. The first
room is the image of Dionysus.
It is said that these mosaics were all made by craftsmen at that time by picking natural
colored small stones on the mountain and laying them one by one. Dionysian house is
recognized as the most beautiful work of art in the eastern Mediterranean.
Famagusta is located in Northern Cyprus, so you need to pass the checkpoint and get a
pass before driving. In spite of some troubles, the ancient city is well worth visiting.
Famagusta is the background of Shakespeare's famous tragedy Othello.
It has many ancient sites from the 13th century to the 15th century. For tourists, what is most
worth seeing is Saint Nicholas Cathedral in the center of the ancient city. The cathedral is
well preserved, with its spire soaring into the cloud. Of course, it is now a mosque.
But for me, what's more shocking is the ruins of some old churches all over the city, which
can't be changed into mosques before, telling the historical fusion of thousands of years and
the war between the Greek and Turkish peoples 60 years ago with the most real face.