The temple foundations
Walls of huge blocks.
JERRYE AND ROY KLOTZ MD — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Jaba1977 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Rjdeadly — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jaba1977 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jaba1977 — CC BY-SA 4.0
Kition was an ancient city-kingdom on the south coast of Cyprus, with its remains now inside modern Larnaca. Phoenicians established it at the start of the 10th century BC, and it was the birthplace of the Stoic philosopher Zeno. History lovers will find a quiet site among residential streets. Mycenaean Greeks settled the area in the Late Bronze Age, drawn by copper. The town was destroyed around 1200 BC and rebuilt on a larger scale, with a massive stone wall. After about 850 BC Phoenician settlers rebuilt its sanctuaries. Kings are known by name from 500 BC, until Ptolemy I took Cyprus in 312 BC, killed its king Poumyathon and burned the temples. From a timber walkway you look over the foundations of large temples and walls of huge blocks, and another part shows slipways thought to belong to a shipyard. The site is low, so the remains read best in side light, and the panels at the entrance help you make sense of what you see. It is about 800 m in a straight line from central Larnaca, reachable on foot or by taxi. An hour is the most you need, so make it part of a round that takes in the seafront and Larnaca Castle. There is little shade, so choose the morning or late afternoon, and bring water and a hat in summer.
Walls of huge blocks.
A view over the site.
Thought to be an old shipyard.
Archbishop Kyprianos Avenue, Larnaca
Finikoudes Beach and PromenadeLarnaca's main seafront, a broad promenade shaded by rows of palm trees, which g15 minutes walk4.7
Church of Saint LazarusA late-ninth-century stone church in central Larnaca, belonging to the Orthodox 17 minutes walk4.9
Larnaca CastleA small stone fort on the Larnaca shore at the southern end of the Finikoudes pr20 minutes walk4.3A philosopher born at Kition who founded the Stoic school in Athens.
Yes for history lovers. It is close to central Larnaca and needs under an hour.