The history of Paphos is inextricably linked with the name of the beautiful Greek goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite, because it is believed that it was on the coast, not far from this city that she was born from the foam of the sea. Therefore, it is not surprising that the temple built in her honour, the ruins of which are now located just 15 kilometres from modern Paphos in the village of Kouklia, was one of the most important in the ancient world.
Despite the fact that Aphrodite began to be worshipped in Cyprus only in the 1500s BC, there is evidence that the temple on this site was created in about 3800 BC. It is believed that the cult of Aphrodite originated "on the basis" of the cult of the Babylonian-Phoenician goddess of fertility Ishtar.
It was to Kouklia that people from Egypt and Greece came to worship the most beautiful of the beautiful. Especially many pilgrims came there in the spring, when they held Aphrodisias - special festivals in honour of Aphrodite, during which orgies were held in the temple. However, scholars believe that they were not as large and debauched as described in fiction.
The temple fell into disrepair after Christianity began to spread on the island, around the 4th century AD. Today, all that remains of it are ruins - the foundations and a few fragments of the structure. But even now you can imagine its former grandeur.
During the archaeological excavations, which began in 1887, at this place was discovered a huge number of artifacts, objects of art, which have great historical value. Thus, there were found statuettes, products from ceramics and copper, and even a clay sarcophagus, which depicts scenes from "Odyssey" and "Iliad". The finds are now stored in museums in Paphos, London and New York.
