Paphos History!
Paphos Throughout The Years
The Greek Goddess Aphrodite was born in Paphos and Pahpos City is believed to have been founded in 1400 BC by her son King Cinvras. The majority of the inhabitants during this time paid homage to Aphrodite and other such gods and goddesses and many temples and monuments were built.
In 1200 BC Paphos was under the control of the Myceneans and they too erected temples of worship to these gods. The port of Paphos was built by the last king of Paphos Nicocles and this was during the time of Alexander the Great and it became a busy thriving port. The Romans had control over Paphos for almost 7 centuries and it continued to prosper becoming the capital of Cyprus. It was the Apostle Paul that converted Sergius Paulus the Roman Governor to Christianity in 45 AD. Paul then became the leader of Paphos.
Up until the middle ages Paphos was the capital of Cyprus but with the formation of new larger cities that became more financially and religiously important, Paphos lost this status.Paphos continued to loose its status until the late 20th century when it became apparent that this ancient city could not be ignored anymore.Tourism was growing steadily and Paphos once again gained status.Paphos International Airport was constructed to help attract more tourists to this beautiful part of Cyprus.
Today Paphos has a population of approximately 48,000 and its tourism industry has developed rapidly.There are excellent beaches, a harbor, ancient ruins and sites, and some great diving locations.Paphos itself is divided into two sections, Paphos town the main residential area and Kato Paphos located on the sea front.It is in Kato Paphos that you will find hotels and villas to rent along with a wide range of other tourist attractions.There are a number of catacombs sites that can be traced back to the early Christian period and exploring these makes a great day out.As Paphos is steeped in so much history, the whole town was added by UNESCO to the World Cultural Heritage List.