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Selected and rare materials, excerpts and observations from ancient, medieval and contemporary authors, travelers and researchers about Cyprus.
 
 
 
 
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CLAUDE DELAVAL COBHAM
Exerpta Cypria
page 193

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IJANDINl. 1H3 The Christians, whether Greeks or Franks, wear no turban, nor shave their heads, but keep their haii' decently cut like ns, and wear a hat or black cap. They wear however, in Kastern fashion, a garment without a collar, falling to the knees or a little lower, with wide sleeves which reach to the elbow. They gird themselves with a sort of sash of linen or other material wound four or five times round. Under their garment they wear a petticoat over a shirt with a collar, and stockings on their legs, and over all another garment without a belt cut very much like the first. They wear generally black or violet or any other colour they may prefer. Cyprus is at least 480 miles in circnit, 80 broad and 100 long, and has two capes. On the west may be included C. S. Epiphanie, called by the ancients Acamas, C. Trapano and Celidonio, or Point Meloni a, or C. Zephiro. TTie other is called S. Andrea, whence one makes for the east. Its only harbour is Fainagusta on the east. This is a famous town which was built by Ptolemy Philadelphia. But large vessels can also ride safely near the shores of Baffo, Limisso, Crusoco and Salines. There aro in several places capes which jut into the sea, the most marked is called the Gape of Cats, from the great number of that animal which were reared in the monastery of S. Nicolas, where there are Basilian monks, called Aerotiri. The cats were kept to destroy the great quantity of snakes found there, and large sums were left to it for that purpose. The island had formerly several fine towns but to-day there remain only Nicosia and Famagnsta. which preserve somewhat of their ancient grandeur, the rest are but villages. In none of them can you find families of old nobility : these are either extinct, or left the island on its conquest by the Tnrks. The famous M. Olympus is nearly in the middle, not far from Nicosia. It is very high, and has a circnit of quite 04 miles, and at every fourth mile there is a convent of Greek monks, with fountains and fruits in plenty. The air is most pleasant, and never so cold that in the depth of winter one should want a fire, but the heat is su distressing both by day and night that it is impossible to travel while the sun is up. Both un the hills aud in the plains there are fine stretches of land full uf fruits. Hence the country is rich and productive, and gained its name of Macaria, from a Greek word meaning "happy." The ancients had good reason to call the island the home and realm of Venus, to call Venns Cypria and the country Cytherea, for not only do they say she was burn at Aphrodisio and reared at Cythera, but that she reigned at Idaho, now Dali, twelve miles S. of Nicosia. Si» it was that at Paffo men and women sacrificed miked to Venus, in the city which was built long ago by Agapenor, captain of the host uf Agamemnon, king of Mycenae. This abuse ceased when the temple fell at the prayer of S. Barnabas. There are also near Cape S. Epiphanies two celebrated fountains., one of which was called "Amorosa" because those who drank of its waters caught the fire of love : the other was all unlike, because iu a moment it quenched this passion. The island abounds in wheat, wine and excellent meat, which it sends to other countries. The sun and the soil help to produce very strong and pleasant wine, but as it is kept in pitched vessels it acquires a taste which does not please those who are not accustomed to it. Everyone however agrees in thinking it good for the digestion. All kinds of vegetables grow there, and abundance of barley, dates, bananas, carobs, oranges, lemons, citrons and all fruits except cherries, chestnuts and service-berries: sugar, saffron, coriander, susiinan [sesame?], lentisc-seed, honey and sometimes manna; as to vegetables, the cauliflowers are excellent eating, cabbages, Egyptian beans, colocasia, the herb from the ashes of which they make soap, and that with which they bleach camlets and other linen. There is that scented powder which lends an odour to fine soaps, ladauon, incense and storax. Turpentine ia round there, colocynth, rhnlmrb, senmmony and other precious drugs. There are alsu veins of gold,

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