[Photo from visitnicosia.com.cy]

Cyprus’ diminutive size is greatly disproportionate to the wealth of treasures that you will discover during your visit to its capital. Dating back to the Bronze Age, Nicosia is perhaps the only area of Cyprus that has been continuously inhabited since the Chalcolithic Era (3000 B.C until present day), with its first inhabitants settling in the fertile Mesaoria Valley. Nicosia’s illustrious history and geographical uniqueness have made it a crossroads for some of history’s most important civilizations. Imprints left by greats such as the Ptolemies, Romans and the Byzantines, the Franks, Venetians, Ottomans and finally the British may be encountered in one’s travails through the Old Town area of Nicosia.

It may surprise some to discover that Nicosia was not always the impressive capital that one encounters today. Historians believe that that it was built over the ancient city of Ledra, a small town that existed around 7th – 8th century B.C.

It was only when the monarchical institutions fell at the end of the 4th century that Nicosia was able to take advantage of its natural resources and geographical position at the centre of the island. Cyprus’ last days as a monarchy ended with the Franks when Catherine Cornaro, the last queen of Cyprus, was forced to give the island to Venetians.

Old Nicosia is surrounded by the Venetian Walls, behind which one may discover the city’s historic past unfold into a magical labyrinth of museums, old churches and medieval buildings. The Nicosia Walls were built by the Franks in the 16th century after the Lusignan kings arrived on the island. The Venetians realized that the walls did not offer adequate protection from invaders and tore them down, replacing them with the walls that remain until present day. The Ottomans repaired the Walls and covered them with stones during their occupation of Nicosia. Until today, the Walls are the most well – preserved construction in the city.