KATO PAPHOS ARCHAEOLOGICAL PARK (MOSAICS): In 1980 UNESCO placed the Kato Paphos archaeological site on its World Heritage Sites list. This was a catalyst for the creation of a plan for the protection and maintenance of all archaeological remnants as well as promoting them and offering detailed information to visitors. The Kato Paphos Archaeological Park includes sites and monuments from the Roman period (most remnants in Cyprus date back to this period), the Middle Ages, and even prehistoric times. From all the finds, perhaps the most impressive is the fabulous mosaic floors of four Roman villas found here. There are other significant monuments here as well; the Asklipieion, the Agora, the Odeon, the ‘Tombs of the Kings’, the “Saranta Kolones” (Forty Columns) Fortress and the “Limeniotissa” Ruins of an early Christian Basilica.

TOMBS OF THE KINGS: The “Tombs of the Kings” are found in the necropolis of Paphos, close to the sea. They have inherited this title due to their size and grandeur. Some of these tombs likely belonged to the Pafian (of Paphos) aristocracy, and not of royalty. They are hewn from rock and date to the Hellenistic and early Roman periods. Several tombs imitate the houses where the departed lived while alive, with the rooms (now burial chambers) opening on to an atrium. They bear similarity with tombs found in Alexandria, which is indicative of the close relations the two cities had during the Hellenistic period.