Palace sights in Cyprus
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Ancient Vouni
Viewed in the early morning or late afternoon, this rather surreal and 'what's-it-doing-here?' site is a bit of a mystery. The hilltop location of Ancient Vouni is simply superb, and is reached along a narrow road off the main highway. Look for the black-and-yellow Vouni Sarayı sign pointing north and up the hill. Go up to the car park and the ticket office at the very top.The site, which originally housed a palace or large complex of buildings, dates back to the 5th century BC.
The palace was built by the leaders of the pro-Persian city of Marion (today's Polis) following the failed revolt by the Ionian Greeks against the Persians. The details of this incident were…
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Ancient Vouni
Viewed in the early morning or late afternoon, this rather surreal site is a bit of a mystery. Originally housing a palace or large complex of buildings, it dates back to the 5th century BC. The palace was built by leaders of the pro-Persian city of Marion (today's Polis) following the failed revolt by the Ionian Greeks against the Persians. Today the site stands forlornly on its glorious hilltop, commanding some of the best views of the region.
Built to keep watch over the activities of nearby pro-Greek Soloi, the palace consisted of a discernible megaron (a three-part rectangular room with a central hearth and throne), private rooms and steps leading down to a courtyard…
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Archbishop's Palace
A mock Venetian building, this was the scene of much of the fighting in 1956, as well as during the 1974 military coup and subsequent Turkish invasion of the North. Almost totally destroyed by EOKA-B (the postindependence reincarnation of EOKA, which mostly fought Turkish Cypriots) while they attempted to kill Archbishop Makarios on 15 July 1974, the palace was rebuilt during the 1980s.
The building, which is generally closed to the public, is the official residence of the Archbishop of Cyprus. The palace (and everything else in the vicinity) is overshadowed by a hideous black statue of Archbishop Makarios III, which looms across the square.
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