First an introduction to the island of Cyprus:

The following facts are taken from emails sent from the study abroad program.

Did you know...

· That the flag of Cyprus is the only one to picture its map on its official flag.

· Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty was born in Cyprus.   She emerged from the foam of the sea in the blue waters of Paphos on the south-west coast.  Αφροδίτη (the Greek name of the goddess) means risen from sea-foam .

·  Commandaria is a sweet desert wine produced only on the island of Cyprus. The oldest wine in the world still in production and its roots originated from ancient times. 

The Greek poet Hesiod mentioned Commandaria in his poems and referred to it by its original name NAMA which he commented was ‘the nectar of the Gods of Greece’.

It was named by the Knights Crusaders and the wine infamously won the ‘[ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Wines ]Battle of the Wines’, the first recorded wine tasting competition staged by the French king [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Augustus ]Philip Augustus in the [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/13th_century ]13th century.

· Cyprus is the third biggest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and as of May 2004 a full member of the European Union.

· Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus is the last divided capital in the world. Nicosia's divisive Green Line actually was created at the end of 1963, three years after Cyprus was granted independence from Great Britain. A British commander who was trying to squelch street fighting between Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot militias reportedly took a green pen and bisected a map of the city from one side to the other. When Turkey overran a third of Cyprus 11 years later, the line was extended 112 miles across the island.

· In 1878 Cyprus was ceded to Great Britain by the Ottoman Empire. In 1925 it became a ‘Crown Colony’, until 1960 when it was granted independence. British rule left remnants in the administrative system of the island, as well as on driving. In Cyprus driving is on the left, just like in most former British colonies.

· Cyprus is among the top 3 tourist destinations in the Mediterranean.

· Cyprus telecommunications is considered one of the cheapest and best providers in Europe.

· Hala Sultan Tekkesi Mosque outside Larnaca is now one of the most important holy places of worship for Muslims, ranked immediately after Mecca, Medina in Saudi Arabia, and Al Aksha in Jerusalem. It was built in the 7th century AD on the spot where Umm Haram died when she fell off her mule, during one of the first Arab raids on the island. According to tradition, she was related to the prophet Mohammed.

• The name Cyprus (In Greek: π - pronounced Kypros) has a somewhat uncertain etymology. One suggestion is that it comes from the Greek word for the Mediterranean cypress tree (Cupressus sempervirens), π (kypárissos), or even from the Greek name of the henna plant (Lawsonia alba), π (k pros).

· Another school suggests that it stems from the Eteocypriot word for copper.  Georges Dossin, for example, suggests that it has roots in the Sumerian word for copper (zubar) or for bronze (kubar), because of the large deposits of copper ore found on the island.  Cyprus is also called "the island of Aphrodite", since in Greek mythology, the goddess Aphrodite, of beauty and love, was born in Cyprus.

• The traditional folk music of Cyprus has many common elements with Greek mainland and island folk music, including dances like the sousta, syrtos, zeibekikos, tatsia, and the kartsilamas. The instruments commonly associated with Cyprus folk music are the violin ["fkiolin"], the lute ["laouto"], the accordion, and the Cyprus flute "pithkiavlin". There is also a form of musical poetry known as "chattista", which is often performed at traditional feasts and celebrations.

· The art history of Cyprus can be said to stretch back up to 10,000 years , following the discovery of a series of carved figures from the Copper Age (Chalcolithic period) in the villages of Khoirokoitia and Lempa, and the island is also the home to numerous examples of high quality religious icon painting from the Middle Ages.