About Paphos • Historic Paphos

Once the capital of Cyprus, this small harbour town and resort offers visitors an area of beautiful landscapes, delightful beaches, historic treasures and untouched villages. The port area is dominated by a mediaeval fort and in the old town are the remains of Roman villas containing fine mosaic floors.

The City of Paphos (or Pafos), on the southwest coast of the island, was founded by King Kiniras in 1400 BC. The port of Paphos was built by Nicocles, the last King of Paphos, at the time of Alexander the Great. It became the capital of the island replacing Salamis during the Hellenistic period as its masters, the Ptolemies, favored a location closer to their capital Alexandria. The Romans retained Paphos as the seat of the Roman Governor.

Paphos however, was gradually losing much of its attraction as an administrative center. The result was that the capital was moved inland to Lefkosia (Nicosia). The city and its port continued to decline throughout the Middle Ages and Ottoman Rule as Nicosia and the port cities of Larnaka and Famagusta were gaining in importance.

The city and the district of Paphos had remained the most underdeveloped part of the island until 1974 when the Turkish invasion happened. After 1974 there was rapid economic activity in all fields in Paphos but especially tourism and the district population started to increase.

The government invested heavily in infrastructure and in building of the Paphos International Airport while private initiative concentrated in hotel, apartment and villa construction and the entertainment infrastructure.