Â鶹APP

Building of the Cyprus Museum in Nicosia, Cyprus photo by A.Savin –

Top 10 Interesting Facts about Cyprus Museum

A museum is a non-profit, long-term organization that studies, gathers, conserves, explains, and displays tangible and intangible heritage in the service of the community.

Museums encourage diversity and sustainability by being accessible, inclusive, and open to the public. With the help of communities, they operate and communicate ethically while providing a variety of opportunities for learning, fun, reflection, and knowledge sharing.

Man has always been fascinated by museums, and Cyprus’s museums are a veritable treasure trove. Man has always been fascinated by history, historical artefacts, prehistoric remnants, and symbols of old civilizations and cultures.

He has become increasingly knowledgeable about museums as a result of his interest in the history of civilization and the evolution of society. In truth, Cyprus’s most significant cities all have enlightening and instructive museums.

One such renowned Museum is Cyprus Museum. Located in Cyprus, the Museum houses some of the most ancient artefacts in the nation. Its collections have been used for various studies and research for the benefit of both local and international scholars.

Extensive excavations throughout the island have enriched the collections of the museum considerably and brought Cypriot archaeology to the forefront of international archaeological research.

Here are the top 10 interesting facts about the museum.

1. Cyprus Museum was founded in 1882

Cyprus Archaeological Museum exterior Nicosia Republic of Cyprus photo by Nicosia Republic Cyprus –

The Museum was founded in 1882 as a privately run institution to protect the finds that started to come to light during the first legal excavations undertaken during the British rule of the island committee, chaired by the British governor, undertook the direction of the museum.

The continuously growing number of finds from systematic excavations which are mainly undertaken by foreign missions, such as the Swedish Archaeological School mission directed by professor Einar Gjerstad, forced the museum’s committee to look for new premises for the exhibition and the storage of the finds.

2. Cyprus Museum is the main archaeological Museum of Cyprus

Archeological Museum of Cyprus Nicosia photo by LefkosiaChyprus –

The main archaeological museum of Cyprus, which is located in Nicosia, is where you can see remnants of the island’s lengthy history of civilization, which dates back to prehistoric times and the early Christian era.

The museum’s holdings have been enhanced by extensive excavations on the island, which have also elevated Cypriot archaeology to the top of the field worldwide.

Here, Cyprus’s rich cultural heritage which includes artefacts from the Neolithic to the Bronze, Iron, and Greco-Roman eras—is treasured and on display for the benefit of all.

The Soloi Aphrodite statue, a collection of gold jewellery, and artefacts from the Salamis royal tombs are among the standout displays. The museum is a stop on the Aphrodite Cultural Route.

3. It is the oldest archaeological museum in Cyprus

Cyprus Museum is the oldest and largest archaeological museum in Cyprus. This wonderful museum, located just outside the Old City walls, is home to the most significant collection of archaeological discoveries made on the island as well as the greatest collection of Cypriot artefacts in the entire world.

Highlights start in the Neolithic era, around 9000 BCE, and go all the way up to a Horned God statue from the town of Enkomi, which is said to be the ancestor of classical Greek sculpture.

4. Cyprus Museum building consists of 14 halls

The Museum building consists of 14 halls. The 14 halls that make up the Museum’s structure are used to exhibit things in chronological and thematic order. Ceramics, jewellery, sculptures, and coins from all the Cypriot kings’ mints as well as the island’s mint during the Ptolemaic era are among the items on show.

There are numerous artefacts from the Neolithic and Chalcolithic eras of human habitation on the island, including tools, stone vessels, figurines, and the first indications of worship on the island.

Several of the museum’s chambers are devoted to a vast collection of pottery dating from the Bronze Age to the Roman era, and visitors may also see hundreds of figurines and figures made of clay.

5. Its current building was originally dedicated to the memory of Queen Victoria

Queen Victoria, 1819–1901 photo by Alexander Bassano –

The initial museum was built with funds from private donations and was temporarily housed in administrative buildings. It moved to its premises in 1889 on Victoria Street within the medieval walls of the city.

The current structure’s construction started in 1908, when Queen Victoria, the ruler of Great Britain, was commemorated. N. Balanos, an architect with the Archaeological Society of Athens, created the design, while George H. Everett Jeffery, the museum’s curator at the time, oversaw construction.

The second set of galleries, storage areas, and offices was finished in 1961.

6. It was constructed to prevent the smuggling of antiquities on the island

Numerous illegal excavations and the removal of artefacts from the island were the primary catalysts for this the museum’s creation. The largest of them was carried out a few years prior by Luigi Palma di Cesnola, the American ambassador, who smuggled over 35,000 artefacts off the island, most of which were lost in transit.

The majority of the surviving artefacts are currently on display in their galleries on the second floor of the newly established Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

7. Its collections comprise finds from extensive excavations from all over Cyprus

Cyprus Museum, Nicosia photo by Héctor Ochoa ‘Robot8A’ –

The museum’s collections are comprised of finds from extensive excavations from all over the island that has helped the development of Cyprus’ archaeology, as well as its research into the cultural heritage of the Mediterranean.

The collections consist of pottery, jewellery, sculpture, coins, copper objects, and other artefacts, all exhibited in chronological order in the various museum galleries.

Pieces typical of Cypriot culture – and of particularly important artistic, and historical value – include the cross-shaped idol of the Chalcolithic period, Early Bronze Age pottery from Vouni, Late Bronze Age golden jewellery from Egkomi, and the 1st century BC statue of Aphrodite of Soloi.

8. Cyprus Museum is linked with the Aphrodite Cultural Route

The museum is linked with the Aphrodite Cultural Route. The Aphrodite Cultural Route connects the archaeological sites dedicated to the ancient cult of Aphrodite, with particular focus on the World Heritage site at Pafos, the ancient city-kingdom of Amathous in the Lemesos (Limassol) region, and Kition in the Larnaka region.

By going even further afield, the route has suggestions for secondary sites where there are artefacts and connections to the story of Aphrodite, including the excellent Cyprus Museum in the country’s capital, Lefkosia (Nicosia), or the Local Archaeological Museum of Marion-Arsinoe (Polis Chrysochous) near the ‘Baths of Aphrodite’.

9. Cyprus Museum has a research library

The Cyprus Museum also has a library with extensive artefact collections and archives. Access to the collections and library can be obtained through the Department of Antiquities, headquartered in the museum.

10. Its collection has outgrown the capacity of the existing buildings

Cyprus Museum, Nicosia photo by Héctor Ochoa ‘Robot8A’ –

Only a small portion of the museum collection is ever on display because the collection has outgrown the capacity of the current buildings by a significant margin.

With several ongoing excavations and continual fresh discoveries, the question of moving to larger premises has been brought up, but a suitable site has not yet been chosen.

On the location of the old GSP stadium, there have been plans to build a new museum as part of a wider cultural centre. It has also been suggested that the nearby and now-demolished Nicosia Old General Hospital be restored.