Petra tou Romiou, Kouklia, Cyprus

Petra tou Romiou, also known as Aphrodite's Rock, is a sea stack in Paphos. The combination of the beauty of the area and its status in mythology as the birthplace of Aphrodite makes it a popular tourist location. According to one legend, this rock is the site of the birth of the goddess Aphrodite, perhaps owing to the foaming waters around the rock fragments. Another legend associates the name Achni with the nearby beach, and attributes this to it being a site where the Achaeans came ashore on their return from Troy.

Excavations have unearthed the spectacular 3rd- to 5th-century mosaics of the Houses of Dionysus, Orpheus and Aion, and the Villa of Theseus, buried for 16 centuries and yet remarkably intact. The mosaic floors of these noblemen's villas are considered among the finest in the Eastern Mediterranean. They mainly depict scenes from Greek mythology.

The present name Petra tou Romiou (Rock of the Greek) associates the place with the exploits of the hero Basil as told in the Digenes Akritas. Basil was half-Greek (Romios) and half-Arabic, hence the name Digenes (two-blood). Legend tells that Basil hurled the huge rock from the Troodos Mountains to keep off the invading Saracens. A nearby rock is similarly known as the Saracen Rock.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Nathalie DS (2 years ago)
Beautiful sight but not much around to do. Avoid the hottest hours of summer as there is literally no shade anywhere. Cross from the cafe to the beach through an underground passage, don't cross the highway!

David Benn (2 years ago)
This used to be called Aphrodite's rock. And legend had it that if you swim around it you will have everlasting love. I swam round it in 1967 and have now been married for 46 years, maybe there's something in it. There is a small gift shop and tavern at the other side of the road where you can park for free and a tunnel under the road for safe access. Well worth a visit if only to throw a few pebbles into the sea.

Aris Vidalis (2 years ago)
This is an iconic place in Cyprus. A place from where you watch beautiful sun sets especially in late autumn. And nice for swimming. The seawater is usually turbid though because of the southwestern winds. There is always a crowd here but it doesn't feel too crowded.

Ірина Менчинська (2 years ago)
Unforgettable experience. Don’t forget to climb on the rock - the beautiful view will appear for you! Before the trip better to take good shoes for your comfortable climbing.

Ling Lin (3 years ago)
One of my favourite spot in Cyprus. Much quieter than the commercial beaches full of tourists. Turquoise water and the sea stack are gorgeous, absolutely wonderful to enjoy a good afternoon there.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright nikonaft

Historic Site of the week

Cesis Castle

German crusaders known as the Livonian Brothers of the Sword began construction of the Cēsis castle (Wenden) near the hill fort in 1209. When the castle was enlarged and fortified, it served as the residence for the Order's Master from 1237 till 1561, with periodic interruptions. Its ruins are some of the most majestic castle ruins in the Baltic states. Once the most important castle of the Livonian Order, it was the official residence for the masters of the order.

In 1577, during the Livonian War, the garrison destroyed the castle to prevent it from falling into the control of Ivan the Terrible, who was decisively defeated in the Battle of Wenden (1578).

In 1598 it was incorporated into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Wenden Voivodship was created here. In 1620 Wenden was conquered by Sweden. It was rebuilt afterwards, but was destroyed again in 1703 during the Great Northern War by the Russian army and left in a ruined state. Already from the end of the 16th century, the premises of the Order's castle were adjusted to the requirements of the Cēsis Castle estate. When in 1777 the Cēsis Castle estate was obtained by Count Carl Sievers, he had his new residence house built on the site of the eastern block of the castle, joining its end wall with the fortification tower.

Since 1949, the Cēsis History Museum has been located in this New Castle of the Cēsis Castle estate. The front yard of the New Castle is enclosed by a granary and a stable-coach house, which now houses the Exhibition Hall of the Museum. Beside the granary there is the oldest brewery in Latvia, Cēsu alus darītava, which was built in 1878 during the later Count Sievers' time, but its origins date back to the period of the Livonian Order. Further on, the Cēsis Castle park is situated, which was laid out in 1812. The park has the romantic characteristic of that time, with its winding footpaths, exotic plants, and the waters of the pond reflecting the castle's ruins. Nowadays also one of the towers is open for tourists.

Do you know an ancient castle or magnificent church near you?

Why not share it with other people interested in history? You can add your own historic sites and attractions to SpottingHistory.com.

It's absolutely free, easy, and doesn't even need registration!

Upload data

Petra tou Romiou

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

History of Guernsey & Jersey

Most beautiful castles in Lithuania

Cultural Landscape of Sintra, Portugal

Historic Site of the week

Cesis Castle

Looks like you are a history fan!