Sanctuary of Aphrodite at Kouklia

Palaepaphos, Old Paphos, was the principal sanctuary of Aphrodite in the ancient Greek world and drew pilgrims from across the Mediterranean from the twelfth century BC until the Roman period. The goddess was worshipped here not as a statue but as a conical black stone, which is now in the site museum. What survives on the ground is foundations, a Roman-era hall, and the remains of the great enclosure; the museum occupies a Lusignan manor house of the thirteenth century built over part of it. The site is included in the Paphos World Heritage inscription.

History

The city of Paphos, later called Palaepaphos, was founded around 1700 BC as a coastal trading port exporting copper, and the monumental ashlar enclosure of its sanctuary of Aphrodite, at the goddess's mythical birthplace, was built around 1200 BC in the aftermath of the Late Bronze Age collapse. When silting robbed the city of its harbour some time before the 4th century BC, Nea Paphos became the main port, and pilgrims of the Ptolemaic and Roman periods reached the sanctuary on foot; it operated for more than fifteen centuries, becoming a major religious centre of the whole Mediterranean, before its decline in the late 4th century AD. Excavations began with the British Cyprus Exploration Fund in 1887-1888 and continued from 1950 under Terence B. Mitford, and the site was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1980 (Wikipedia, Sanctuary of Aphrodite Paphia).

What to look for

• The conical stone - the aniconic cult object the goddess was worshipped as, in the museum.
• The sanctuary foundations - the enclosure and hall of the Roman-period rebuilding.
• The Lusignan manor - a thirteenth-century hall now housing the museum.
• The setting - the site on a rise above the coastal plain.

When to go

March to May and September to November are the comfortable months. Summer is very hot on the open site. The museum keeps shorter hours in winter.

Good to know

The remains above ground are modest and require imagination; the museum carries most of the visit. Interpretation is limited relative to the site's importance. Parking in the village is tight.

Nearby

Aphrodite's Rock is south-east along the coast, and Paphos is fifteen kilometres away.

Key facts