Aradippou ( []) is a town and municipality in

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

, located on the outskirts of the city of

Larnaca Larnaca, also spelled Larnaka, is a city on the southeast coast of Cyprus and the capital of the Larnaca District, district of the same name. With a district population of 155.000 in 2021, it is the third largest city in the country after Nicosi ...

. It was established in 1986 following a referendum of local residents. It has a population of approximately 20,000. After it received town status, Aradippou defined its municipal limits and is now the second-largest municipality of

as it extends over an area of 42,982 square governmental acres.

Name

The name Aradippou derives from its first settler, either King Aradippos or Radippos, with two versions of its origin. The first suggests Aradippos came from the island of Arados off the coast of

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

. The second version refers to Radippos (or Rhodippos), of Greek descent, who settled near the southern shores of Cyprus after the

Trojan War The Trojan War was a legendary conflict in Greek mythology that took place around the twelfth or thirteenth century BC. The war was waged by the Achaeans (Homer), Achaeans (Ancient Greece, Greeks) against the city of Troy after Paris (mytho ...

, founding a settlement there.

History

According to archaeological findings, Aradippou has been inhabited since the time of the Achaeans. During the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, it was known as the Court of the Despotissa due to a royal mansion belonging to Margarita de Lusignan, sister of King Leon VI and granddaughter of

Amalric Amalric or Amalaric (also Americ, Almerich, Emeric, Emerick and other variations) is a personal name derived from the tribal name ''Amal'' (referring to the Gothic Amali) and ''ric'' (Gothic language, Gothic ''reiks'') meaning "ruler, prince". E ...

. This mansion was destroyed in 1425 by

Mamluk Mamluk or Mamaluk (; (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural); translated as "one who is owned", meaning "slave") were non-Arab, ethnically diverse (mostly Turkic, Caucasian, Eastern and Southeastern European) enslaved mercenaries, slave-so ...

raids. Aradippou was established as a municipality in 1986, following a referendum on February 23, where 98% of the residents voted in favor of transforming the Improvement Council (ancestor of the community council institution) into a municipality. The first municipal council was elected on May 25, 1986, and assumed duties on June 1, 1986.

Twinned cities

* Neapolis, Greece (since 2001) *

Mouresi Mouresi () is a village and a former municipality in Magnesia, Thessaly, Greece. It is situated in the northeastern part of the Pelion peninsula. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Zagora-Mouresi, of which it is ...

, Greece

Football clubs

Ermis Aradippou Ermis Aradippou () is a Cypriot professional football club based in Aradippou, a settlement on the outskirts of the city of Larnaca. The club was formed in 1958, and currently plays in the Cypriot Third Division. Ermis' greatest success ca ...

Omonia Aradippou Omonia Aradippou () is a Cypriot professional football club based in the Municipality of Aradippou, a settlement in the outskirts of the city of Larnaca. The club was founded on 4 April 1929 and currently they are the Champions of the Cypr ...

References

Municipalities in Larnaca District {{Cyprus-geo-stub