Royal Tombs and Greek Mythological Floors

While taking a week of relaxation in Cyprus, we thought it was important to go to the UNESCO World Heritage sites down the street from our resort.You may have seen my Mom’s post on Aphrodite’s birth place and temple which were the first sites we visited.  Let me tell you about the interesting sights we visited in Paphos.

The Tombs of the Kings

The Tombs of the Kings were actually not tombs for kings. They were not royal tombs at all. They were actually just tombs for very rich people of the Ptolemaic state. They are said to be carved during the Hellenistic (300-30 BC) and the Ptolemaic (323-30 BC) periods.

There are eight sets of tombs, some are decorated with columns and ancient paintings on the walls.

Here are some carvings

An ancient painting

Some columns

Some more columns

Even more columns

Each set of tombs has many tombs inside dug deep into the rock where the bodies would be laid to rest.

These holes are where the bodies would be placed

They are dug deep into the rock

Very deep into the rock

Here is one set of tombs

At the Tombs of the Kings, there were some FABULOUS views over the Mediterranean sea with beautiful palm trees and HUGE waves! 🙂

a nice path with many trees

Some trees

A view from inside one of the tombs

a nice view from a hill

a nice view of the beach

Some HUGE waves

Overall, The Tombs of the Kings was spectacular and I can understand why the rich people were buried there.

The House of Dionysos

Located in Paphos, The House of Dionysos is known for its many beautiful mosaic floors. Dionysos is the Greek god of wine and parties;  it was named after him because he was in several of the mosaic floors.

Here are a few of the mosaics inside.

The Hunting Scene

In this mosaic, there is a hunter and his dog. The dog is biting a donkey’s leg while the hunter is facing a leopard. A bear, a wild boar, moufflons and a tiger are also in the mosaic.

The Four Seasons

The Four Seasons mosaic consists of nine squares. In each of the four corners are images representing the four seasons surrounding the image of Dionysos in the middle.

The Triumph of Dionysos

This mosaic shows Dionysos riding on a chariot returning victoriously from battle in India.

Some of the mosaics are not of people but with shapes and objects that were used in every day life such as clay pots and jugs.

Objects used in our every day lives

Notice the different shapes

The House of Theseus

Near the House of Dionysos are the ruins of the House of Theseus which gets its name from the huge mosaic medallion which was discovered in one of the floors.  In the middle of the mosaic, is the story of Theseus when he battled the Minotaur in the labyrinth in Crete.

Here is the mosaic

Here is a close up of the middle

The Pillar of St. Paul

In Paphos, we decided to see the Pillar of St. Paul which is the pillar that St. Paul was attached to when he was being tortured for trying to convert people to Christianity.

The Pillar of St. Paul with the church in the back

The Pillar of St. Paul

This reminds me of when we visited the Mount of Olives in Israel because this is where Jesus spent some of his time with his disciples including St. Paul, in the hours before he was arrested.  After Jesus resurrected, his disciples traveled to different countries around the world to spread the word of Christianity.  St. Paul went to Paphos and was eventually martyred.

If you decide to go visit Cyprus, I highly recommend going to Paphos to see the Tombs of the Kings, The Houses of Theseus and Dionysos, and the Pillar of St. Paul.  After visiting these sights, it is also very enjoyable to finish the day off with a walk along the water in the city.