On a hot July day it was time to do some exploring. The destination? The Cyprus Museum in Nicosia. The museum was a respite from the summer heat with air-conditioning units humming merrily inside the building, with its beautiful interior, showcasing the finest historical artifacts of this island.
With the beginning of British rule in 1878, interest in the preservation of antiquities began. In 1905 the first "antiquities law" was passed. Construction of the museum began in 1908, built as a memorial to the late Queen Victoria. In 1912 the first curator of the museum was appointed and the work of the building was completed in 1924.
Walking around, completely alone in the museum there were imposing and grandiose statues of men and women alike. You felt their presence in the silence, the magic of the marble used to make them. Gigantic and god-like, each statue had been intricately carved, a laborious task, but with precision and care.
There was Zeus, Hera and Aphrodite and the Egyptian and immortal goddess Isis looking on. Other objects of interest were from ancient Salamis, which was one of the most important cities of ancient Cyprus and the seat of a powerful kingdom that thrived in historical times.
There were inscribed tablets and tombstones and royal thrones and precious jewellery from different periods. There were cooking pots and jugs and figurines of deities with arms raised in jubilation.
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