| Polis Πόλις Χρυσοχούς | ||
 | ||
| State | Cyprus | |
|---|---|---|
| Inhabitants | About 3,000 (2001) | |
| POSTAL CODE | 8820, 8854 | |
Position
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| Institutional website | ||
Polis is a small town on the northwest coast of Cyprus.
To know
Polis stands on a hill less than a kilometer from the wide bay of Chrysochoùs which opens onto the north-western coast of Cyprus. It has been identified with the ancient city-state of Marion, a center of copper trade and closely related to Athens at the time of Pericles.
Background
After the death of Alexander the Great he mingled with the quarrels between the diadochi siding with Antigonus. Cyprus, however, was assigned to Ptolemy I who retaliated by razing the city that had opposed him to the ground.
The center then took the name of "City of Arsinoe" (Polis tis Arsinois in Greek), named after a sister of the king of Egypt Ptolemy Philadelphus (308 - 246 BC). In the Byzantine era the name was changed to "Polis tis Chrysochous" with reference to the gold and copper mines which at that time were not yet exhausted (gold is called "chrysòs" in Greek). This is still the official diction of the city.
How to orient yourself
Polis (Cyprus): full screen map.How to get
How to get around
What see
Events and parties
What to do
Shopping
How to have fun
Where to eat
Where stay
Safety
How to keep in touch
Around
- Baths of Aphrodite (Loutra Afroditis in Greek) - Five km west along the coastal road that winds towards the Akamàs peninsula in a very green landscape among olive trees, eucalyptus and carob trees. A path leads to the natural pool formed by a small waterfall where the goddess of love used to bathe. It was during one of her baths that Aphrodite met Adonis. 5 km away is the "Fontana Amorosa" whose water transmitted "love sickness" to those who dared to drink it. Mentioned by Ariosto in his work "Orlando Furioso", the Fontana Amorosa is difficult to access and absolutely does not have the charm of the "Baths of Aphrodite".
Itineraries
- On the way to Morphou (Northern Cyprus) - Pomos is the last village in the Greek sector before the "Green Line", the armistice line that divides the island in two. First we meet the village of Limni, then the archaeological site of Vouni with magnificent views of the Anatolian coast and then Karavostassi, the place where the Byzantine princess Elena Palaiologos landed to marry the king of Cyprus John II. Nearby are the ruins of Soli, a city-state that opposed Persian hegemony around 500 BC.
Other projects
Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Polis (Cyprus)
Commons contains images or other files on Polis (Cyprus)
