Cyprus is the Mediterranean’s third largest island after Sardinia and Sicily. Standing at the crossroads of three continents, it has a history and culture stretching back more than 10,000 years.  Situated between Europe, Africa and Asia, it brings together the history, religion, culture and civilisation of its neighbouring peoples and all those who have sought to conquer it from antiquity to modern times. Millions of visitors come to Cyprus every year to learn about its civilisation and culture, to explore its flora and fauna, to visit its sights, to explore the captivating scenery, and to enjoy the hospitality and services this destination has to offer.

Neolithic and Chalcolithic Ages

The first signs of human life on the island take us back to the Neolithic Age, between 8200 and 3800 BC. This was followed by the Chalcolithic (Copper) Age between 3800 and 2400 BC although, when it came to daily matters, this was not very different to the previous age. The Cypriots of that time lived in stone houses with one large room. They had stone tools, ate pulses, lamb and goat meat, and buried their dead underneath their houses. Jewellery from this era was made of clay.

The first changes to this way of life and to technology came at the end of the Chalcolithic Age and the start of the Bronze Age (2400 to 2200 BC), when long houses with more rooms were built, jewellery was now made of bronze, and the dead were buried in separate areas. In spite of this development, the economic boom and commercial trade with neighbouring countries began around the end of the Bronze Age (1650-1050 BC). The creation of coastal towns and the development of samples of writing gave the opportunity for relations with Egypt, the Middle East, the Aegean and Central Europe to develop.

Hellenistic and Archaic Periods

To better understand how the island acquired the Greek roots that it has today, we have to go to the start of its Greek history. With the arrival of Mycenaean pottery traders (pottery subsequently spread and developed as an art form on Cyprus) after 1400 BC, Cyprus entered the Hellenistic period and, from around 1050 BC, it was considered to be a Greek island, with the same language, writing, religion, culture and customs which were reminiscent of Ancient Greece. Clay vessels were used in the inhabitants’ daily lives for religious reasons, as well as for day-to-day matters such as eating, cleanliness etc.

From 1000 BC onwards, the relations between Cyprus and Greek islands like Euboea and Crete began to develop and become closer. The creation of the cities and kingdoms of Palaipaphos, Salamina, Kitio, Amathounta, Kourion, Imarion and Soloi by the heroes returning from the Trojan War, as well as the discovery of iron - which replaced bronze – gave rise to the Geometric, and later the Archaic Periods (750-480 BC). The latter was also influenced by the arrival of the Assyrians. The Assyrians forced the kingdoms to pay taxes in order to maintain their independence, and had full control over all other areas.

After the island was released from Assyrian rule, the Egyptian pharaoh Ahmose took over the administration and tax exploitation of the kingdoms of Cyprus. A clear sign of this period was the Greek and Eastern Anatolian element in the arts, culture, religion and the daily life of the Cypriot society.

Classical Hellenistic and Roman Eras

During the Classical Period (480-310 BC), Cyprus passed into Persian domination, although it managed to maintain its independence for the most part. In spite of the foreign threats, Cyprus remained one of the largest and strongest political centres of the Hellenistic Era. Greek artists were engaged to cut the coins, which were used, in the Cypriot kingdom.

The decline of Persian dominance (310-30 BC) came during Alexander the Great’s campaign in the Middle East. After the Persians and the death of Alexander the Great, when Alexandria become the capital of the Ptolemaic Kingdom, came the turn of the Ptolemies to rule the Cypriot land and its natural resources. During this period, Cyprus gained Egyptian influence in the arts and, at the same time, became the base for the military operations of the Ptolemies, who used the raw materials and natural resources to build ships and to launch their campaigns.

Byzantine Period

 The island was very similar under Roman rule (30 BC-330 AD), with the only difference being that the Cypriot economy grew due to the Romans' interest in trading jewellery and clay objects. The Cypriot market faithfully copied the ornamentation of Roman craftsmen for designing and decorating gold jewellery and clay objects.

One important factor during this period was the Christianisation of the island by the Apostle Paul and Saint Barnabas in AD. In 395 AD, during the division of the Roman Empire and the creation of the Western and Eastern Roman Empires – the latter of which was later called Byzantium and had its capital in Constantinople – Cyprus passed into the Byzantine Period (330-1191).  Between 400 AD and 700 AD, the Cypriot Church managed to remain independent and had a noticeable effect on Cypriot society.

Cities were levelled by catastrophic earthquakes, and new ones were built and given the old names. The capital, which had previously been at Paphos, was transferred to Nicosia around 1100-1200 AD. A number of castles were built on Cyprus before 1200 AD – including the ones of Pentadactylos, St Hilarion, Kantara and Buffavento – as well as monasteries such as Agios Neofytos, Machairas, and Kykkos.

Frankish Rule (1192-1489)

 The period of Frankish Rule came when Richard the Lionheart, unable to keep control of the island, sold it to the Franks, leaving the Catholic Church to rule the island and be recognised as a legal institution. Frankish Rule lasted from 1192-1489 AD and brought great economic growth, mainly in the twelfth century when large cities like Vienna and Geneva introduced products to Cyprus.

Cyprus remained the only Christian area in the East and, due to the important trade relations created by the Franks, discussions began in the West about who would establish control over the island. Cypriot trade grew during this period, exporting products like sugar, wine, and agricultural produce. Production of rope and textiles was also common, and trade in ceramic items began to expand, both for export and for domestic consumption.

Another important part of this period was the Franks' creation of monuments, inspired by the Byzantine and Western element, which have adorned the island up until today. Some of the most important of these were the Bellapais, the cathedral of Agios Nikolaos, the church of Agia Sofia and the castle at Paphos.

Venetian Period (1489-1571)

Venetian rule in Cyprus began in 1489 when the island was given to Venice by the last Queen of Cyprus, Caterina Cornaro (who had Venetian roots), and lasted until 1571. The primary concern of the Venetians was to move their ships to the Eastern Mediterranean, and they could be speedily replenished at Cyprus. Cypriot production of cotton, wheat, olive oil and sugar grew and, at the same time, Larnaca became the most important port for the export of salt.

By the end of the period of Frankish rule the port of Limassol began to operate, although the port of Ammochostos (Famagusta) continued to be the largest. Villages such as Lefkara began to become famous for their textiles. As Rhodes fell into the hands of the Ottomans in 1552, the Venetians saw that they might lose Cyprus and all the benefits it offered, and attempted to protect it by building walls around the then-capital Nicosia and strengthening the walls at Ammochostos, where the tower of Othello (famous from Shakespeare’s tragedy) was situated.

Cyprus as part of the Ottoman Empire (1571-1878)

The fall of Ammochostos in 1571 and the expulsion of the Venetians from Cyprus brought the island under the domination of the Ottomans for the first time, and a Muslim community was created and established itself in Cyprus. The Cypriot Orthodox Church kept its religious identity and power but, at the same time, it acquired cultural status.

The time of the War of Independence in Greece, 1821, was a difficult period for Cyprus and most of all for the Cypriot Orthodox Church, as the Archbishop Kyprianos and his bishops were executed, together with 470 clergymen. Liberation and independence in Greece created close links, particularly in the coastal towns, and the first signs of a political ideology supporting union with Greece appeared. The decline of Ottoman rule was just a matter of time, especially since trade between coastal Cypriot towns and Europe was thriving.

The Ottomans turned their aspirations elsewhere, no longer able to govern the island, and passed it to the British in 1878.

British Rule (1878-1960)

In 1878 Cyprus was handed over to Great Britain with a secret agreement, and the prospects of Cyprus uniting with Greece began to fade. In the minds of the Cypriots there was the hope that Great Britain would bring changes to the political, economic and cultural life of Cyprus, and that union with Greece would become feasible. As time passed, however, and as the results showed no signs of improvement, the events of 1931 were inevitable.

The riots of 1931 resulted in the British implementing harsher measures, and in abhorrence from the Cypriots. In 1950 bishop Makarios III was made archbishop and in 1955 he contributed to the foundation of the liberation movement EOKA, led by General Georgios Grivas Digenis. The struggle for independence between 1955 and 1959 resulted in Cyprus being liberated from British rule, but not in union with Greece. The Zurich Agreement drawn up in London resulted in Cyprus gaining its independence, and the Republic of Cyprus was established on 16 August 1960.

It was to have a Greek-Cypriot President and a Turkish-Cypriot Vice President, and two British military bases were set up in the regions of Dekeleia (near Larnaca) and Akrotiri (near Limassol). On 13 December 1959, Archbishop Makarios was elected President, and Turkish-Cypriot Kucuk was elected Vice President.

1960 to 1974

To a certain extent, the Zurich Agreement made the political and social life of Cyprus more complicated. In 1963 the President of the Cypriot Republic proposed a series of constitutional amendments which were opposed by the Turkish Cypriots, and the Turkish side made attempts to create an independent Turkish-Cypriot state. This signalled the disturbances of 1963, and the United Nations deployed groups to maintain peace on the island. On 15 July 1974 the military junta which was then in power in Greece organised a coup to overthrow the democratically elected Cypriot government. On 20 July, using the coup as a pretext and violating the international code of conduct defined in the Treaties relating to the island, Turkey invaded Cyprus, supposedly in order to restore constitutional order. Instead of this, Turkey seized 36.2% of the land of the Cypriot Republic in the north – an act that was internationally condemned as a clear violation of international law and of the Charter of the United Nations. Since then, Turkey has continued to defy the plethora of United Nations Resolutions calling for withdrawal of all foreign troops from Cypriot Republic land.

Post-War Cyprus

During the Turkish invasion around 1400 Greek-Cypriot citizens and soldiers went missing. Many were captured by the Turks and were seen in prisons in Turkey and the occupied territory before they disappeared. Many of them are still unaccounted for due to Turkey’s unwillingness to help determine their fates.

At the time, Cyprus was in economic deadlock with thousands of people dead, missing or displaced. The next few years were difficult for Cypriot society as 70% of the island’s resources were lost, 30% of the workforce were made unemployed and the policy of transferring and establishing settlers from Turkey to the occupied area had distorted the demographic character of the island to such an extent that the total number of illegal settlers (approximately 160,000) was almost double the number of Turkish Cypriots (88,900).

Despite the contribution of global organisations and the great world powers, the Cypriot problem remains unresolved even today. A series of decisions by the General Assembly of the United Nations Security Council, as well as other international organisations, have condemned the Turkish invasion and other offensive actions Turkey has effected against Cyprus. These demand that displaced persons be returned to their homes, and that the fate of those unaccounted for be established. They require that human rights are restored, and that the independence, governance and territorial integrity of Cyprus are respected. In addition, the European Court of Human Rights has found Turkey to be responsible for numerous and systematic violations of human rights in Cyprus.

The United Nations has proposed various initiatives to solve the Cyprus problem and reunite the island through a number of intercommunal talks conducted since 1975. Progress, however, has been undermined in various ways by the Turkish side, which wants any settlement to leave Cyprus permanently divided and a hostage of foreign powers. The Greek Cypriot side, on the other hand, is insistent on the real reunion of Cyprus and its people.

Cyprus in Europe

Cyprus entered the European Union on 1 May 2004, and even when it adopted the Euro on 1 January 2008 it was still split, with the northern section of the island under illegal Turkish domination. The northern part of the island is excluded from the European Union until a solution to the Cypriot problem is found. Attempts by organisations, governments and mediators to solve the Cypriot problem continue even today. Despite the adversities, free Cyprus has succeeded in developing sectors such as tourism, industry, agriculture, stock-breeding, fishing and education, ensuring stable economic growth and progress.

At the same time, the island is considered one of the most breathtaking destinations in the Mediterranean and beyond. Millions of visitors from all over the world come to the island of Aphrodite to see its historic monuments and unique sights from up close, and to discover the culture of Cyprus and the hospitality of the Cypriot people. According to the Cyprus Tourism Organisation, 2,403,744 tourists visited Cyprus in 2008.