Akamas (

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

: , tr, Akama), is a

promontory A promontory is a raised mass of land that projects into a lowland or a body of water (in which case it is a peninsula). Most promontories either are formed from a hard ridge of rock that has resisted the erosive forces that have removed the ...

and cape at the northwest extremity of

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ...

with an area of 230 square kilometres.

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of importanc ...

described it as a thickly wooded headland, divided into two by summits mountain rangerising towards the north. The peninsula is named after

Akamas Akamas (Greek: , tr, Akama), is a promontory and cape at the northwest extremity of Cyprus with an area of 230 square kilometres. Ptolemy described it as a thickly wooded headland, divided into two by summits mountain rangerising towards the ...

, a son of

Theseus Theseus (, ; grc-gre, Θησεύς ) was the mythical king and founder-hero of Athens. The myths surrounding Theseus his journeys, exploits, and friends have provided material for fiction throughout the ages. Theseus is sometimes describ ...

, hero of the

Trojan War In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans ( Greeks) after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband Menelaus, king of Sparta. The war is one of the most important events in Greek mythology and ...

and founder of the city-kingdom of Soli. Until the year 2000, the

peninsula A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on a ...

was used by the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkha ...

and

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...

for military exercises and as a firing range. Under the 1960 Treaty of Establishment, the British Army was allowed to use the Akamas for exercises for up to 70 days a year. At the southern end of the peninsula is the town of

Pegeia Peyia (also spelt ''Pegeia''; el, Πέγεια) is a town in the Paphos District of Cyprus. Pegeia is situated mainly on the steep slopes of the coastal hills inland from Coral Bay, at the southern end of the Akamas Peninsula, and it lies 14&n ...

and on its northeast side the town of

Polis ''Polis'' (, ; grc-gre, πόλις, ), plural ''poleis'' (, , ), literally means "city" in Greek. In Ancient Greece, it originally referred to an administrative and religious city center, as distinct from the rest of the city. Later, it also ...

. Due to the mountainous nature of the peninsula there are no roads running through its heartland. Furthermore, some roads marked on Cypriot road maps of the area are not sealed. Visitor attractions in Akamas include a loggerhead turtle sanctuary and the Baths of

Aphrodite Aphrodite ( ; grc-gre, Ἀφροδίτη, Aphrodítē; , , ) is an ancient Greek goddess associated with love, lust, beauty, pleasure, passion, and procreation. She was syncretized with the Roman goddess . Aphrodite's major symbols incl ...

where the goddess is said to have bathed, near Polis. Akamas

Protected status

Rocky coast of Akamas Peninsula, Cyprus 02

As the area is relatively inaccessible, there is a large diversity of flora and fauna there. Indeed, the

European Environment Agency The European Environment Agency (EEA) is the agency of the European Union (EU) which provides independent information on the environment. Definition The European Environment Agency (EEA) is the agency of the European Union (EU) which provides ...

noted that it was one of only 22 areas of

endemism Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...

in Europe. In preparation for the

accession of Cyprus to the European Union The largest expansion of the European Union (EU), in terms of territory, number of states, and population took place on 1 May 2004. The simultaneous accessions concerned the following countries (sometimes referred to as the "A10" countries): ...

most of Akamas was proposed to be given protected status. Two turtle-nesting beaches were designated

Sites of Community Importance A Site of Community Importance (SCI) is defined in the European Commission Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) as a site which, in the biogeographical region or regions to which it belongs, contributes significantly to the maintenance or restoration at ...

within the

Natura 2000 Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas designated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, respecti ...

network, the Polis-Gialia area became a

Special Area of Conservation A Special Area of Conservation (SAC) is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), also known as the ''Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora''. They are to protect the 220 habitats and a ...

, and the peninsula was designated a

Special Protection Area A Special Protection Area (SPA) is a designation under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. Under the Directive, Member States of the European Union (EU) have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and certa ...

for birds. However, of the terrestrial area of Akamas proposed as a Natura 2000 area in 2003, only 50% was so designated by the government of Cyprus in 2009. The area is threatened by tourist development and the planned A7 motorway between Polis and

Paphos Paphos ( el, Πάφος ; tr, Baf) is a coastal city in southwest Cyprus and the capital of Paphos District. In classical antiquity, two locations were called Paphos: Old Paphos, today known as Kouklia, and New Paphos. The current city of P ...

, and the government is under pressure to enhance the peninsula's protection. Organisations such as the Green Party of Cyprus,

Greenpeace Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning network, founded in Canada in 1971 by Irving Stowe and Dorothy Stowe, immigrant environmental activists from the United States. Greenpeace states its goal is to "ensure the ability of the Earth t ...

and

Friends of the Earth Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) is an international network of environmental organizations in 73 countries. The organization was founded in 1969 in San Francisco by David Brower, Donald Aitken and Gary Soucie after Brower's split wi ...

are taking action to protect the area.

Biology and ecology

Akamas supports a wide diversity of life including many vulnerable species, some of which are

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to Akamas. Wild flowers include

cyclamen ''Cyclamen'' ( or ) is a genus of 23 species of perennial flowering plants in the family Primulaceae. ''Cyclamen'' species are native to Europe and the Mediterranean Basin east to the Caucasus and Iran, with one species in Somalia. They g ...

, turban buttercups, alyssum (''

Alyssum ''Alyssum'' is a genus of over a hundred species of flowering plants in the family Brassicaceae, native to Europe, Asia, and northern Africa, with the highest species diversity in the Mediterranean region. The genus comprises annual and perenn ...

akamasicum'', endemic to Akamas), Cyprus tulip, and many species of orchid, yellow gorse and white rock rose. The following 39 of the 128

plant species of Cyprus are found in the Akamas peninsula: ''

akamasicum'', ''

Anthemis ''Anthemis'' is a genus of aromatic flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, closely related to '' Chamaemelum'', and like that genus, known by the common name chamomile; some species are also called dog-fennel or mayweed. ''Anthemis'' are nati ...

tricolor'', '' Arenaria rhodia'' ssp. ''cypria'', '' Asperula cypria'', '' Astragalus cyprius'', '' Ballota integrefolia'', '' Bosea cypria'', ''

Carlina ''Carlina'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. It is distributed from Madeira and the Canary Islands across Europe and northern Africa to Siberia and northwestern China.Kovanda, M. (2002)Observations on ''Carlina bieberste ...

involucrata'' spp. ''cyprica'', ''

pygmea'', '' Centaurea akamantis'', '' Centaurea calcitrapa'' ssp. ''angusticeps'', '' Centaurea veneris'', ''

Crocus ''Crocus'' (; plural: crocuses or croci) is a genus of seasonal flowering plants in the family Iridaceae (iris family) comprising about 100 species of perennials growing from corms. They are low growing plants, whose flower stems remain under ...

veneris'', ''

Cyclamen cyprium ''Cyclamen cyprium'' (Cyprus cyclamen) is a perennial growing from a tuber, native to woodland at elevation in the mountains of Cyprus. It is the national flower. ''Cyclamen persicum'' and '' Cyclamen graecum'' are also found on Cyprus, but are ...

'', ''

Euphorbia ''Euphorbia'' is a very large and diverse genus of flowering plants, commonly called spurge, in the family Euphorbiaceae. "Euphorbia" is sometimes used in ordinary English to collectively refer to all members of Euphorbiaceae (in deference to t ...

cypria'', ''

Gagea juliae ''Gagea juliae'', the yellow star-of-Cyprus, is a plant species in the lily family, native to Cyprus and southern Turkey. ''Gagea juliae'' is a bulbous perennial herb with erect stems 2–20 cm high. Flowers yellow internally with a bro ...

'', '' Gladiolus triphyllus'', ''

Helianthemum ''Helianthemum'' , known as rock rose, sunrose, rushrose, or frostweed,' ...

obtusefolium'', '' Odontites cypria'', '' Onobrychis venosa'', '' Onopordum cyprium'', '' Onosma fruticosum'', '' Ophrys kotschyi'', ''

Ophrys The genus ''Ophrys'' is a large group of orchids from the alliance Orchis in the subtribe Orchidinae. They are widespread across much of Europe, North Africa, Caucasus, the Canary Islands, and the Middle East as far east as Turkmenistan. T ...

lepethica'', ''

Origanum majorana Marjoram (; ''Origanum majorana'') is a cold-sensitive perennial herb or undershrub with sweet pine and citrus flavours. In some Middle Eastern countries, marjoram is synonymous with oregano, and there the names sweet marjoram and knotted marj ...

'', '' Ornithogalum pedicellare'', ''

Phlomis ''Phlomis'' is a genus of over 100 species''Phlomis''.
Flora of China. of

cypria'' var. ''occidentalis'', ''

Pterocephalus ''Pterocephalus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Caprifoliaceae The Caprifoliaceae or honeysuckle family is a clade of dicotyledonous flowering plants consisting of about 860 species, in 33, to 42 genera, with a nearly cosmopoli ...

multiflorus'' ssp. ''multiflorus'', ''

Ptilostemon ''Ptilostemon'' is a genus of plants in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asteral ...

chamaepeuce'' var. ''cyprius'', '' Rubia laurea'', ''

Scutellaria ''Scutellaria'' is a genus of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. They are known commonly as skullcaps. The generic name is derived from the Latin ''scutella'', meaning "a small dish, tray or platter",Sedum cyprium'', '' Sedum porphyreum'', '' Senecio glaucus'' ssp. ''cyprius'', '' Taraxacum aphrogenes'', '' Teucrium divaricatum'' ssp. ''canescens'', '' Teucrium micropodioides'', ''

Thymus integer ''Thymus integer'' is a strongly aromatic, sprawling, gnarled subshrub generally less than 10 cm high. It produces white to dark rosy purple flowers between March and June.Cyprus Flora in Colour the Endemics, V. Pantelas, T. Papachristophoro ...

'', ''

Tulipa cypria ''Tulipa cypria'', the Cyprus tulip, is a tulip, an erect perennial bulbous herb, 15–40 cm high (in blossom), with glabrous, glaucous leaves. The four leaves are alternate, simple, entire, fleshy, the two lower ones larger, laceolate, 10 ...

''. Animals found in Akamas include fruit bats, shrews, hedgehogs, foxes, snakes, lizards, griffon vultures,

Cyprus warbler The Cyprus warbler (''Curruca melanothorax'') is a typical warbler which breeds only on Cyprus. This small passerine bird is a short-distance migrant, and winters in Israel, Jordan and Egypt. Like most ''Curruca'' species, it has distinct ma ...

s, and Cyprus scops owls. Vulnerable species include bats,

monk seal Monk seals are earless seals of the tribe Monachini. They are the only earless seals found in tropical climates. The two genera of monk seals, ''Monachus'' and ''Neomonachus'', comprise three species: the Mediterranean monk seal, ''Monachus monac ...

s and sea turtles. At Lara Bay there is a turtle hatchery, where the eggs are protected.

Akamas in local and popular culture

The British broadcaster and naturalist, Sir David Attenborough has filmed at Akamas. The film

Akamas (2006 film) ''Akamas'' is a 2006 Cypriot feature film directed by Panicos Chrysanthou about a love affair between a Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot despite their families' opposition and the intercommunal violence of the 1960s.

, which premiered at the

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival h ...

was mostly filmed in Akamas. In

Greek mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the lives and activities o ...

, it is where

met her lover,

Adonis In Greek mythology, Adonis, ; derived from the Canaanite word ''ʼadōn'', meaning "lord". R. S. P. Beekes, ''Etymological Dictionary of Greek'', Brill, 2009, p. 23. was the mortal lover of the goddess Aphrodite. One day, Adonis was gored by ...

and some natural landmarks have associations with this tale, for example Fontana Amorosa (Love’s Spring), near Polis, is said to be Aphrodite’s Fountain of Love and anyone who drinks from the

spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season), a season of the year * Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy * Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water * Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a h ...

is said to become overcome with youthful desire.

Gorges

Avakas Gorge, Akamas Peninsula, Cyprus - panoramio (10)

The Androlykou Gorge and Petratis Gorge, both on the northern side of Akamas may be seen from the village of

Androlykou Androlykou ( gr, Ανδρολύκου, tr, Gündoğdu) is a Turkish Cypriot village in the Paphos District of Cyprus, located 5 km southwest of Polis Chrysochous. It is currently mostly empty, but before invasion it had a population of 498.PRI ...

. On the south westerly side the Avakas Gorge has high sheer cliffs which come closer together until they meet, leaving a tunnel formation through which a stream runs.

Tourism

Akamas has branded itself as an exclusive destination and tourists who come tend to be seeking more than "sun, sea and sand", being more interested in culture, biodiversity and specialist sports such as golf or hiking.

Repeated arson

In 2019, several fires broke out by simultaneous arson attacks. Six aircraft from the

National Guard National Guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. Nat ...

, the

Police The police are a Law enforcement organization, constituted body of Law enforcement officer, persons empowered by a State (polity), state, with the aim to law enforcement, enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citize ...

and the Forestry Department, were deployed. The fires were extinguished nine hours after they broke out. The head of the forestry department Charalambos Alexandrou called the arsonists ‘senseless’ as they were calculating the scale of the damage. “Whenever a meeting is planned to discuss Akamas, the day before a fire breaks out in the area,” he said. Following the fires, Save Akamas, Save Cyprus organisation protested with the slogan ‘Hands off Akamas’. Since 2017, arsonists have set approximately 80 fires in or around the National Forest Park, they said. “The state is at best tolerating and at worst encouraging such criminal behaviour.” Agriculture Minister Costas Kadis said that economic interests are behind fires that were deliberately set in a bid to sabotage plans to declare the area as a National Forest by 2022. He made clear that the 'Akamas National Forest' plan remains on track.

References

* * Richard Talbert, Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World, (), p. 72.
Akamas
* An in-depth travel feature about the natural beauty, flora and fauna of the Akamas Peninsula https://web.archive.org/web/20070101203048/http://www.nhavers.8k.com/cyprus.htm {{Authority control Cyprus Mediterranean forests Peninsulas of Cyprus Natura 2000 in Cyprus