Larnaca,[b] also spelledLarnaka, is a city on the southeast coast ofCyprus and the capital of thedistrict of the same name. With a district population of 144,200 in 2015, it is the third largest city in the country afterNicosia andLimassol.[6]
The nameLarnaca originates from theAncient Greek nounλάρναξlarnax 'coffer, box; chest, e.g. for household stores; cinerary urn, sarcophagus, coffin; drinking trough, chalice'. An informal etymology attributes the origin of the name to the manylarnakes (sarcophagi) that have been found in the area.[7] Sophocles Hadjisavvas, a state archeologist, states that "[the city's U.S.] consul of the last quarter of the 19th century, claimed to have explored more than 3,000 tombs in the area of Larnaca, so-called after the immense number of sarcophagi found in the modern town".[8]
The city is also colloquially known as “Skala” from the Greek noun σκάλα, meaning ladder. In Turkish it has been translated to İskele. This name referred to the historic port of the city,[9] though now it is the name of the area which surrounds it, in which the Turkish Cypriot inhabitants of the city lived in prior to theTurkish invasion of Cyprus. After which they migrated toTrikomo, which was later renamed to Yeni İskele (meaning “New Skala”), in honour of their origins.[10]
Street in Larnaca in 18781880 drawing of market in Larnaca
The former city-kingdom ofKition was originally established in the 13th century BC. New cultural elements appearing between 1200 BC and 1000 BC, including pottery, new architectural forms. These archaeological findings are interpreted as indications of significant political changes and the arrival of theAchaeans, the first Greek colonists of Kition. Around the same time,Phoenicians settled the area.
At thearchaeological sites of Kiteon, remains that date from the 13th century BC have been found. Around 1000 BC, Kition was rebuilt byPhoenicians and it subsequently became a center of Phoenician culture. The remains of the sites includecyclopean walls and a complex of five temples and anaval port.
It was conquered in the first millennium BC by a series of great powers of the region. First by theAssyrian Empire, then byEgypt. Like most Cypriot cities, Kition belonged to the PersianAchaemenid Empire. In 450 BC, theAthenian generalCimon died at sea, while militarily supporting the revolt against Persia's rule over Cyprus. On his deathbed, he urged his officers to conceal his death from both their allies and the Persians.
Strong[11] earthquakes hit the city in 76 AD and the year after.
Earthquakes of 322 AD and 342 "caused the destruction not only of Kition but also of Salamis and Pafos".[11] Kition's harbor silted up, and the population moved to the seafront farther south, sometime after this. Contributing factors to the silting are thought to have been earthquakes,deforestation, andovergrazing.
TheSalt Lake fills with water during the winter season and is visited by flocks of flamingoes who stay there from November until the end of March. It usually dries up in the summer. In the past,[when?] it yielded good quality salt scraped from the dried surface. The salt from the lake is now considered unsuitable for consumption.
The climate in this area is described by theKöppen Climate Classification System as ahot semi-arid climate (BSh) due to its low annual rainfall and hot summer temperatures resulting in highly negative water balance. It is sometimes described as amediterranean climate due to the pronounced rainy season in winter and virtually rainless summers, but the total annual rainfall is below the required amount to avoid the semi-arid classification.
Finikoudes is thepromenade along Athenon Avenue on the seafront. A row of palm trees (Cypriot Greek:φοινικούδες,foinikoudes) lines either side of it.
Much of the activity is centered on the city promenade during the major festivals. The most important of these isKataklysmos or theFestival of the Flood, celebrated in early summer with a series of cultural events. The festival used to last for about a week, but, in recent years, with the increased commercialism of peripheral stalls, rides, and temporaryLokma restaurants, the festival has been extended to about three weeks, during which the seafront is closed to traffic in the evenings.
Abust ofCimon stands on the Foinikoudes Promenade, with this quote referring to him on thepedestal: "Even in death he was victorious" (Greek:"Kαι νεκρός ενίκα").
The marble bust ofZeno of Citium stands at the crossroads near the American Academy. Zeno was born in Kition in 334 BC. After studying philosophy inAthens, he founded theStoicism school of philosophy.
Larnaca's economy has been growing since 1975,[citation needed] after the loss of thePort of Famagusta, which handled 80% of general cargo, and the closure ofNicosia International Airport, events which have seen Larnaca's airport and seaport play increasingly important roles in the economy of the island. A €650m upgrade of Larnaca Airport has been completed.
The service sector, including tourism, employs three-quarters of Larnaca's labour force.[citation needed] Many travel and tour operators and other travel-related companies have a head office in Larnaca.
Larnaca has a theatre and an art gallery, which are operated by the municipality. The Cornaro Institute was a cultural centre founded by the celebrated Cypriot artistStass Paraskos in the Old Town in 2007, which staged contemporary art exhibitions and other cultural events, prior to its closure by Larnaca Municipality in 2017.
Larnaca attracts windsurfers from around the world, especially in autumn. Mackenzie Beach hosts a windsurfing centre together with an extreme sports centre.
Museums found in Larnaca include theLarnaca District Archaeological Museum,Pierides Museum, Agios Lazaros Byzantine Museum, Kallinikeio Municipal Museum of Athienou, Larnaca Medieval Museum, Larnaca Municipal Museum of Natural History, Larnaca Municipal Historical Archives - Museum of Larnaca, Folklore Museum ‘Kostas Kaimakliotis’ - Aradippou, Theasis Museum, Kyriazis Medical Museum and Museum of Michel Platini.
The beaches of Larnaca are lined with nearly identical seafood restaurants catering to tourists. Although there are many continental and international restaurants in Larnaca, visitors do not miss out on indulging in the local food. Many of the staple dishes involve beans, such asfasolaki (French beans cooked in red wine with lamb), andlouvi me lahana (black-eyed peas withchard).
Some of the standard appetizers are potato salad, kohlrabi salad, and hot grilled black olives. The next course may includeCyprus village sausage andsheftalia,dolmades andkeftedes,kolokassi in tomato sauce, and several aubergine-based dishes. Baked or grilled lamb (souvla) usually appears somewhere in the course of dining, as does some kind of fish.
^"The great number of sarcophagoi (larnakes) found at Larnaca may have given to the modern city its name." Excerpt of wall mounted text atLarnaca District Museum, under the title "Kition: The necropolis"
^"ITiCSE 2018".iticse.acm.org. Retrieved16 October 2024.
^"PRIO".www.prio-cyprus-displacement.net. Retrieved18 December 2024.
^abFlourentzos, P. (1996).A Guide to the Larnaca District Museum. Ministry of Communications and Works – Department of Antiquities. p. 18.ISBN9789963364251.
^"Archived copy".www.bratislava-city.sk. Archived fromthe original on 28 July 2013. Retrieved11 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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