Larnaca

Both Christianity and Islam have revered religious sites in Larnaka. The mosque of Hala Sultan Tekke, built in honour of Umm Haram, a relative of the Prophet Mohammed, who died here after falling from her horse, is an important place of Moslem pilgrimage. Its minaret rises up amidst a copse of tall palm and cypress trees, shimmering like an oasis mirage on the edge of the salt lake, a favourite winter habitat for flamingoes and other migratory birds.

Larnaka was the second home of St. Lazarus, who lived here after his resurrection and later became its first Bishop. The impressive 10th century Church of St Lazarus in the centre of the town was built over the saint's tomb and is one of the finest examples of Byzantine architecture in Cyprus.

Larnaka is built over the ancient city kingdom of Kition, a rich sea port and major centre of the copper trade in antiquity and later a Phoenician stronghold. Its remains can be seen today in its cyclopean walls made of giant blocks of stone and a complex of 12th century BC Mycenaean Greek temples.

In the environs of the town, dramatically perched on the peak of a hilltop, sits solitary Stavrovouni, one of the oldest monasteries in Cyprus, while further along lies the neolithic settlement of Khoirokoitia, with its reconstructed round huts and a World Heritage site.