Page 69 - 2021 ACTA's Guide to Cyprus Tourism

Both Christianity and Islam have revered religious
sites in Larnaka. The mosque of Hala Sultan
Tekke, built in honour of Umm Haram, a relative
of the Prophet Mohammed who died here after
falling from her horse, is an important place of
Moslem pilgrimage. Its minaret rises up amidst a
copse of tall palm and cypress trees, shimmering
LARNAKA HOTELS favourite winter habitat for flamingoes and other
like an oasis mirage on the edge of the salt lake, a

migratory birds.
Larnaka was the second home of St.
Lazarus, who lived here after his
resurrection and later became its
first Bishop. The impressive 10th
century Church of St Lazarus
in the centre of the town was
built over the saint’s tomb and
is one of the finest examples of
Byzantine architecture in Cyprus.

Larnaka is built over the ancient
city kingdom of Kition, a rich sea
port and major centre of the copper
trade in antiquity and later a Phoenician
stronghold. Its remains can be seen today
in its cyclopean walls made of giant blocks
of stone and a complex of 12th century BC
Mycenaean Greek temples.

In the environs of the town, dramatically perched
on the peak of a hilltop, sits solitary Stavrovouni,
one of the oldest monasteries in Cyprus, while
further along lies the neolithic settlement of
Khoirokoitia, with its reconstructed round huts
and a World Heritage site.

67