Focus on Cyprus investment immigration and listen to the stories of Cyprus: The ruins of the ancient city of Salamis are located at the base of the Karpas Peninsula, north of Famagusta. This ancient city, which was once the capital of Cyprus, dates back to 1100 BC. The ancient city has experienced the rule of the Assyrians, ancient Egyptians, Persians, and Romans, and was ultimately destroyed by the forces of nature.
The site extends over an area of more than one square mile, with many parts still awaiting archaeological excavation. Much of the site is covered with pine trees, eucalyptus, and mimosa. The discovered artifacts and coins, dating back to between 411 BC and 374 BC, are a true testament to the significant archaeological value of this ancient city.
The earthquake in 76 AD caused significant damage to the city. After that, the Roman Emperor Trajan built a grand amphitheater with massive columns, which is the most enduring part of the site. In 311 AD, the ancient city experienced a second earthquake, during which Christians dragged columns from the nearby Roman theater to repair the amphitheater, resulting in the varying sizes of the columns you see today. The theater is the second remarkable site, featuring 50 rows of tiered seating that can accommodate 15,000 spectators. Surrounding these structures are many recessed niches containing marble statues. What we see today are all headless sculptures, as these nude figures were deemed indecent after Christianity was adopted as the state religion in the post-Roman period, leading to their abandonment or destruction. In fact, all works suggesting Roman paganism were subjected to varying degrees of human destruction at that time.
The Romans had an excessive enthusiasm for bathing, which is evident here as well. In the ruins of a building known as the Basilica, hot baths, cold baths, and steam baths can be seen. Before Christianity (before 400 AD), this was a rather colorful place, with marble columns covered in colorful paint, colorful statues, and colorful marble mosaics. Only a small portion of these remains. The walls, featuring rectangular towers, were built during the Christian era, but now only the arched dunes remain.
The post-Roman period from 400 AD to 1100 AD is also known as the Byzantine period, during which the earliest Christian basilica was built. Around 674 AD, the invasion by Arabs brought complete destruction to the city, causing the residents to flee south and establish the medieval town of Famagusta. After this, there must have been significant climate changes that buried the entire site in sand, with only the tops of the columns protruding. Coins from the medieval period excavated around the basilica suggest that the last residents were there around 1300 AD.
In the following six hundred years, the ancient city was gradually abandoned, with bricks and tiles taken for building materials. During the Venetian occupation of Famagusta, many fragments of columns and statues were also removed. Such plundering continued until 1952, when the government began excavation and protection work. The current excavation site is magnificent, covering a vast area. For over a thousand years, most of the Roman ancient city has been buried in sand, allowing it to be preserved and avoiding the plundering of the medieval period. Similar situations can be seen throughout Europe. Just as the ancient city of Pompeii in Italy was preserved under volcanic ash, so too was the ancient city of Salamis.