The House Removals Company

Moving to Cyprus?

Cyprus is the Mediterranean’s third largest island and one of its most popular tourist destinations but there is a tumultuous and often bloody history behind its blindingly white rock and dramatic coastlines. Modern humans settled the island around 10,000 years ago, coinciding with the extinction of the dwarf elephants and dwarf hippos whose skulls gave rise to the Cyclops myth. This is truly a place of legend: the mythical birthplace of Aphrodite, Greek goddess of love, and Athena, goddess of wisdom is also home to the oldest water wells in the world.

Over the millennia, waves of immigrants settled the island, with the Greeks arriving in 1600 BC. They held control until 750 BC when the Assyrians invaded, and despite the pantheon of invaders that followed – Persians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Byzantines again, the English Crusaders, Venetians, Ottomans, and finally the British in 1871 – Cyprus’s cultural heritage remains largely Greek, with a strong Turkish minority. After fighting for the British in the First and Second World Wars, the Cypriots were granted independence in 1960. Three years later fighting broke out between the Greek majority and the Turkish minority, backed by the respective “motherlands”. Eleven years of ethnic cleansing ensued, culminating in an attempted coup by Greek forces in 1974. In retaliation, Turkish forces invaded the island, bringing 30,000 troops and tanks to reinforce their position. They drew a line dividing north from south: 180,000 Greek Cypriots were forcibly evicted from the north and 50,000 Turkish Cypriots settled in their places. Since partition, the north and the south have followed different paths, although recent years have seen improvements in Greco-Turkish relations.

Political tangles notwithstanding, Cyprus remains a wonderful place to visit, whether you’re looking for antiquities, peace and quiet or vibrant nightlife. The climate is excellent, with eleven months of brilliant sunshine every year and temperatures going from a minimum of 5º in January to 36º at the height of summer. The area round Kyrenia harbour on the north coast is wild and romantic, with three dreamlike Gothic castles poised along the Kyrenia mountain range, the mesmerising village of Bellapais and, along the coast, the space and solitude of a rural Mediterranean landscape that has ceased to exist on much of the island. Salamis is an ancient Roman city, built in 1100 BC, where mosaics, statues and the amphitheatre still survive intact. The capital of North Cyprus, Lefkosa, is home to a wonderful old shopping quarter punctuated by minarets and traditional restaurants. The capital of the south, Lefkosia, which is divided from the north by a wall with checkpoints along it, is similarly beautiful and labyrinthine. People keen to get away will enjoy the Troödos Massif mountain range, ideal for hiking and cycling and punctuated with stunning Byzantine churches such as Agios Nikolaos tis Stegis. The top resort is in Agia Napa, once a fishing village, now a byword for hedonism.

Food lovers will find plenty to sing about. Halloumi cheese originated here, and the islanders fry or grill it, often stuffed with fresh mint leaves. There is fresh fish and seafood in abundance – red mullet, squid, octopus and sea bass are among the most popular. Other traditional delicacies include meat marinated in dried coriander, seeds and wine, then dried and smoked, such as lountza (smoked pork loin), charcoal-grilled lamb, souvlaki (pork and chicken cooked over charcoal), and sheftalia (minced meat wrapped in mesentery).