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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 267

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chnrch remain in three semicircles. About half a furlong east of this church there is a descent by several steps to a sepulchral grot cut in the rock, with niches for bodies on three sides of it : here, they say, the body of St Barnabas was deposited, who was a native of this island, and suffered martyrdom at Salamis in the time of Nero. At the entrance of the grot there is a well of water that is a little salt, and a small chapel is built over the grotto, which does not seem to be of any great antiquity. Chap. ITI. OF CAKPASY AND SOME OTHER PLACES IN THE EASTERN PART OF CYPRUS. From Salamis we went on northward, and having travelled about five miles came to the river Demie, over which there is a long bridge like a causeway, and a high ground to the south of it, which might be the situation of some a*îitient town. In half an hour we came to the river Chour; Ave then turned to the east, passed over some hills of cape Cltaulebemou, and crossing a river, we approached high hills, on which there is a castle called the hundred and one chambers. These monntaius hike up almost nil that narrow tract, which seems to have been called the Olympian promontory, and probably this highest part of the mountains was called mount Olympus, on which there was a temple to Venus, probably Venus Urania, or the chast Venus} for there was a city in this part called Urania, which was destroyed by Diogenes Poliorcetes, and it was not lawful for any woman to enter this temple, or so much as look on it; all this promontory seems to have been the kingdom of Carpasia. I observed in this part a groat quantity of talc in the hills. WL arrived at a village called Patrick, where we were well received by the Greek priest. On the thirteenth we proceeded on our journey, and began to cross the hill towards the north side of the island, and came to a village called Galadia, finely situated on a high ground. We travelled on through a very fine country abounding in wood, and passed through Aì-Androniko, where there is a small stream, the sources of which never fail; this village on the south side is inhabited by Turks, and on the north by Christians. All these places are much infested by the Maltese corsairs. We lay iu the house of the priest of Taleusee or Jalousa on the north side of the island, where there is an antient Gi-eek church ; we saw the coast of Cilicia very plainly from this place. On the fourteenth we came to a ruined village, called Madtargona, where they have a tradition that some king antiently resided, soon after we came to a small cape, on which there are ruins of a chnrch dedicated to St Marina; it is built of fine hewn stone, and the place is called Selenio. Having travelled about four hours, we went to the left of the antient convent of Jalousa ; there is also a bay here of the same name, and as there is a place so called near ScanderooHi which is the bay that had the antient name of Sinus Issicus in Cilicia; this, without doubt, must be Sinus Issicus of Cyprus, which was in this part of the island. This is probably the shoar of the Acheans where Teucer first landed. We arrived at Carpass, and went about two miles northwards to the plain and to old Carpasy, called by the antients Carpasia, the capital city of the kingdom of that name, which is now given to all the country. The Hand here is only three miles and three quarters broad. There are some rnins at old Carpass, especially the remains of a wall near half a mile in circumference, with a pier from it into the sea, at the end of which there are some signs of a tower. The whole seems to have been only a castle for the defence of the pc*t. To the east of it there is a very good church in the Greek style, which belonged to a monaster}- near called Ainsphilosr ; they call this place also Salamina, and I was told that this name was given it by some religious persons, POCOCKE. 2ò7

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