Ancient City of Amathus

Amathus was one of the biggest and the most ancient royal cities of Cyprus. One of the legends says that the founder of Amathus was one of Hercules’ sons who was worshipped there. According to other legends, Ariadne, the beautiful daughter of Minos, who fled from Labyrinth in Crete with Theseus, was later abandoned in Amathus. She died there while giving birth to her child and was buried in a sacred tomb.

This area was populated at least 3000 years ago. The city took its name from Amathusa, the mother of King Kinyras from Paphos.

Amathus was built on the coastal cliffs with an amazing view to the sea. It flourished and became a rich kingdom since the early years of its settlement. It was a rich and densely populated kingdom with a flourishing agriculture and mines situated very close northeast Kalavasos. In the Roman Era it became the capital of one out of the four administrative regions. Later, in the 4th century A.D. it became the Episcopal See and continued to flourish until the Byzantine Period. At approximately the late 6th century A.D., Ayios Ioannis Eleimonas (Saint John Charitable), protector of the knights was born in Amathus.

Archaeological excavations in the area by parties of Cypriots and French archaeologists started in 1980 and continue until today. The most ancient findings date back to 1100 BC. The Acropolis, the Aphrodite’s Temple, the market, the city’s walls, the Basicila and the port have all been excavated. The city was demolished by King Richard the Lionheart in 1191. Stones of the city walls were later used when building Limassol.

It is an amazing opportunity for the visitor to ramble over the area and have the feeling of living as they used to live. The visitors have a wonderful chance to explore the area and see rare and beautiful archaeological treasures, which are buried in the soil for centuries.

According to the legend, it was where Adonia took place, in which athletes competed in hunting wild boars during sport competitions. They also competed in dancing and singing to the honour of Adonis.

Accessibility: Amathus is partly wheelchair accessible. Only the lower town can be viewed. Special rest rooms are available.