Larnaca in the context of "Armenians in Cyprus"

⭐ In the context of Armenians in Cyprus, beyond Nicosia, where are notable communities of Armenian Cypriots also found?

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⭐ Core Definition: Larnaca

Larnaca, also spelled Larnaka, is a city on the southeast coast of Cyprus and the capital of the district of the same name. With a district population of 155,000 in 2021, it is the third largest city in the country after Nicosia and Limassol.

Built on the ruins of Citium - the Ancient Greek city-state - best known as the birthplace of Stoic philosopher Zeno of Citium - Larnaca is home to the Church of Saint Lazarus, Hala Sultan Tekke, the Kamares Aqueduct, Larnaca Castle, Larnaca District Archaeological Museum, and Pierides Museum. It attracts many visitors to its beaches, as well as to Finikoudes (Φοινικούδες; Greek for "palm trees"), the city's signature seafront promenade lined with palm trees. It gives its name to the country's primary airport, Larnaca International Airport, which is situated in the neighbouring village of Dromolaxia rather than Larnaca proper. It also has a seaport and a marina.

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👉 Larnaca in the context of Armenians in Cyprus

Armenian Cypriots (Armenian: Կիպրահայեր, romanizedGibrahayer; Greek: Αρμένιοι της Κύπρου, romanizedArménioi tis Kýprou; Turkish: Kıbrıs Ermenileri) are the ethnic Armenian population native to Cyprus. The Armenian-Cypriot community has had a significant impact upon the Armenian people as a whole despite its low numbers. During the Middle Ages, Cyprus had an extensive connection with the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, while the Ganchvor monastery had an important presence in Famagusta. During the Ottoman Era, the Virgin Mary church and the Magaravank were very prominent. Certain Armenian Cypriots were or are very prominent on a Panarmenian or international level and the survivors of the Armenian genocide have co-operated and co-existed peacefully with the Turkish Cypriots.

Currently, Armenian-Cypriots maintain a notable presence of about 4,000 on the island (including about 1,500 non-Cypriot Armenians), mostly centred on the capital Nicosia, but also with communities in Larnaca, Limassol and Paphos. The Armenian Prelature of Cyprus is located in Nicosia. According to the 1960 Constitution of Cyprus, together with the Maronites and the Latins, they are recognised as a "religious group" and have opted to belong to the Greek-Cypriot community and Armenian-Cypriots are represented by an elected Representative in the House of Representatives. Since May 2006, the Representative is Vartkes Mahdessian. The religious leader of the community, since July 2024, is Catholicosal Vicar Archbishop Gomidas Ohanian, accountable to the Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia.

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Larnaca in the context of Amathus

Amathus or Amathous (Ancient Greek: Ἀμαθοῦς) was one of the ancient royal cities of Cyprus until about 300 BC. Some of its remains can be seen today on the southern coast in front of Agios Tychonas, about 6 miles (9.7 km) east of Limassol and 24 miles (39 km) west of Larnaca. Its ancient cult sanctuary of Aphrodite was the second most important in Cyprus, her homeland, after Paphos.

Archaeological work has recently been continued at the site and many finds are exhibited in the Limassol Museum.

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Larnaca in the context of Paphos

Paphos, also spelled as Pafos, is a coastal city in southwest Cyprus and the capital of Paphos District. In classical antiquity, two locations were known as Paphos: Old Paphos (today called Kouklia) and New Paphos. It is the fourth-largest city in the country, after Nicosia, Limassol and Larnaca, with an urban population of 55,000.

The current city of Paphos lies on the Mediterranean coast, about 50 km (30 mi) west of Limassol (the biggest port on the island), both of which are connected by the A6 highway. Paphos International Airport is the country's second-largest airport, and is a gateway to western and southern Cyprus. The city has a subtropical-Mediterranean climate, with the mildest temperatures on the island.

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Larnaca in the context of Tenta, Cyprus

Tenta, also referred to as Kalavasos-Tenta or Tenda, is an Aceramic Neolithic settlement located in modern Kalavasos near the southern coast of Cyprus. The settlement is approximately 38 kilometres southwest of Larnaca and approximately 45 kilometres south of Nicosia. Tenta occupies a small natural hill on the west side of the Vasilikos valley, close to the Nicosia–Limassol highway.

The earliest occupation at the site has been dated to around 8000 BC, which is contemporary with the sites Shillourokambos and Mylouthkia, and notably predating Khirokitia by almost a millennium. It was still settled during the 6th millennium BC, but deserted at some point before the advent of the Cypriotic Ceramic Neolithic.

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Larnaca in the context of Kition

Kition (Ancient Greek: Κίτιον, Kition; Latin: Citium; Egyptian: kꜣṯꜣj; Phoenician: 𐤊𐤕, KT, or 𐤊𐤕𐤉, KTY;) was an ancient Phoenician and Greek city-kingdom on the southern coast of Cyprus (in present-day Larnaca), one of the ten city-kingdoms of Cyprus.

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Larnaca in the context of Sargon Stele

The Sargon Stele was found in the autumn of 1845 in Cyprus on the site of the former city-kingdom of Kition, in present-day Larnaca to the west of the old harbour of Kition in the archaeological site of Bamboula. The language on the stele is Assyrian Akkadian.

The stele was placed there during the time Sargon II (r.722–705 BC) ruled the Neo-Assyrian Empire (935–605 BC). It was offered for sale to the British Museum, which bid 20 £. Ludwig Ross offered 50 £ for the stele and it was shipped to a museum in Berlin where it remains at the Berlin State Museums. Together with the stele was found a gilded silver plakette, that today is located at the Louvre. A replica of the stele is on display in the Larnaca District Museum.

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Larnaca in the context of Larnaca International Airport

Larnaca International Airport – Glafcos Clerides (IATA: LCA, ICAO: LCLK) is an international airport located 4 km (2.5 mi) southwest of Larnaca, Cyprus. Larnaca International Airport is Cyprus' main international airport and the larger of the two commercial airports in the area controlled by the Republic of Cyprus (the other being Paphos International Airport on the island's southwestern coast) and one of the busiest airports in the Middle East. The airport was given its current name in July 2016, in honour of former President of Cyprus (1993–2003) Glafcos Clerides.

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Larnaca in the context of Islam in Cyprus

Islam is the second-largest religion in Cyprus, after Christianity, and is also the predominant faith of the Turkish Cypriot community which resides in Northern Cyprus. Before the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974, the Turkish Cypriot community made up 18% of the island's population and lived throughout the island. Today, most of the estimated 264,172 Muslims are based in the north of the island.

Turkish Cypriot society is formally relatively secular; adherents to the faith subscribe mostly to the Sunni branch of Islam, with an influential stream of Sufism underlying their spiritual heritage and development. Nazim al-Qubrusi, the leader of the Naqshbandi-Haqqani Sufi order, hailed from Larnaca and lived in Lefka. Another branch among the Turkish Cypriot Muslims is Alevism. There are also a few Turkish Cypriots who are Ahmadi Muslims.

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