A Coastal City for Your Ease

Larnaca is one of the oldest cities on the island. Larnaca’s location made it an excellent port town, which led to its importance as well as its wealth over time. There are many historical sites that have been preserved or excavated from this area because of their significance and relevance to Larnaka’s history.

Larnaka is a city that was first established in the Bronze Age. It has had a rich and diverse history, with many cultures occupying its lands at different periods of time. The town’s history can be traced back to antiquity when it was known as Kition.

Kition was originally founded by the Mycenaean Achaeans in the 13th century BC. It was then taken over by the Phoenicians in around 1000 BC.

The Phoenicians settled here and built a temple for their goddess Astarte, Goddess of Fertility related with the worship of Aphrodite – (the Greek goddess).

The kingdom of Kition had been under Egyptian rule for over a century, 570 to 545 BC when it was then conquered by the Persians. In 499 BC Cypriot kingdoms (including Kition) joined Ionia’s revolt against Persian. Worthy of mention that the Athenian general Cimon, who laid the siege to the Persian stronghold of Citium, died at sea in 450 BC, while militarily supporting the revolt against Persia’s rule over Cyprus. He urged his officers to conceal this all from both their allies and the Persians on his deathbed. Eventually, the Persian rule of Cyprus ended in 332 BC.

In 312 BC Ptolemy 1st Soter invaded Kition from his Egyptian colony known today as Alexandria and although Kition was conquered and destroyed it continued to be inhabited.

Following the geopolitical changes of the region, Kition was annexed by Rome in 58 BC. Evidence from Roman times suggests that the city was prosperous during their reign.

Earthquakes of 322 and 342 AD caused the destruction of Kition and other major cities, Salamis and Pafos. The harbor at Kition silted up making it impossible for ships to dock there anymore which forced the inhabitants to move southward.

Following the flow of history, the city of Larnaca fell under Byzantine rule. During this time the city enjoyed stability and prospered as they traded with the rest of medieval Europe. The Byzantines left behind many remains and monuments such as the Basilica of Saint Lazarus which was built by the Byzantine Emperor Leo VI.

Larnaca gained even more importance when the Lusignans arrived in Cyprus and it became a popular spot for both trade and pilgrimage, since the major port of the island at the time, Famagusta, was controlled by Genoa.

In 1571 Larnaca was conquered by Ottoman forces and it was established as the commercial and diplomatic center of The Island of Cyprus. The new port which was flourishing and became one of the major commercial hubs in the Eastern Mediterranean was located in a neighborhood called Scala. Larnaca, until today, is widely known and called Scala! During the Ottoman Rule Period, which lasted for three centuries, monuments such as the Hala Sultan Tekke mosque and Kamares Aqueduct, also known as the Bekir Pasha Aqueduct were built.

When Cyprus became a British protectorate in 1878, Larnaca served as the country’s main port until 1920 when the British built the port in Famagusta.

The Turkish invasion in 1974 led to another blooming period for Larnaca. The Island of Cyprus lost among others, popular tourist destinations, the main airport which was located in Nicosia, and the main port which was located in Famagusta. This has led to the construction of a new airport in the Larnaca area, located on the outskirts, and it is the island’s largest and main commercial airport. Furthermore, Larnaca’s port was vital to continuing trade in the area. Finally, Larnaca became an increasingly popular tourist destination for many tourists, who instead of visiting the occupied cities of Famagusta and Keryneia they chose Larnaca and other cities in Cyprus.