Kissonerga

Infobox Settlement
subdivision_type=Country
subdivision_name=Cyprus
subdivision_type1=District
leader_title=Mayor

timezone=EET
utc_offset=+2
timezone_DST=EEST
utc_offset_DST=+3

postal_code_type=Postal code

official_name = Kissonerga
native_name = Κισσόνεργα


image_shield =
img_coa_

shield_size = 200px
subdivision_name1 = Paphos District
population_total = 1404
population_as_of = 2001 [ [http://www.mof.gov.cy/mof/cystat/statistics.nsf/All/A5E0A9096615A568C2257122003FB72E/$file/POPULATION%20BY%20MUNICIPALITY_COMMUNITY-EN.xls?OpenElement "Statistical Service of the Republic of Cyprus"] (MS Excel), 2001 Population Census]
elevation_m =
latd = 34
latm = 49
latNS = N
longd = 32
longm = 24
longEW = E
postal_code =
leader_name =
website =

Kissonerga is a small village in South West Cyprus, about 10 miles north of Paphos. It has very little in the way of amenities, and is surrounded by banana plantations [Hellander, Paul D. (2003) "Cyprus" Lonely Planet, Oakland, California, pp. 121-122, ISBN 1-74059-122-4 ] in an area known as the Ktima Lowlands. In 1980 the population of the village was 700 people.Robertson, Ian (1981) "Cyprus" Rand McNally, London, p. 140, ISBN 0-528-84617-5 ]

Kissonerga is about eight kilometres down the main road from Paphos towards Coral Bay. [Daniel, Geoff (2004) "Landscapes of Cyprus: A Countryside Guide" Sunflower, London, p. 74, ISBN 1-85691-229-9 ] Along the coast road are several hotels, mini-markets, numerous bars and taverns, as well as small complexes of shops mainly catering for tourists.

Away from the coast road, Kissonerga village has a main street where there are restaurants, several mini-markets, a bank, two coffee shops (one of which also operates as a sub post office), a bookshop, florist, chemist, a couple of hairdressers, and more. There is also an internet cafe near the playground.

At the far end of the main street, opposite the school, which caters for children from nursery age up to 11 years old, there is a communal area which is mainly used as a playground. Bordering on this area are two monuments dedicated to two young men of the village who were members of EOKA (National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters) and who died for their cause. One of the young men was Christos Kelis, and the main street that runs through Kissonerga is named after him.Fact|date=March 2007 EOKA started a guerrilla campaign against British colonial rule aimed at union with Greece (Enosis) on 1st April 1955. The campaign lasted until 1959 and caused the deaths of more Greek Cypriot civilians than the total of British killed. It created civil strife and mistrust between the two Cypriot communities. The first British soldier to be killed in the conflict, Lance Corporal A. R. L. Milne, was killed in Kissonerga when a bomb was thrown into his vehicle. [ [http://books.google.com/books?id=rEMxAAAAIAAJ&q=Kissonerga&dq=Kissonerga&pgis=1 Barker, Dudley (1960) "Grivas: Portrait of a Terrorist" Harcourt, Brace & World, New York, p. 107] , [http://worldcat.org/oclc/1374013 OCLC 1374013] ]

Across the road from the playground is the Church of the Transfiguration (also known as Metamorphosis) and not far from this church are the ruins of a tiny chapel dedicated to Saints Zinovia and Filonilli. It is a modern church but preserves the icons from the 1775 church. These two saints accompanied St Paul to Paphos to help spread Christianity. They died and were buried in Kissonerga.

To the north of Kissonerga a new football stadium has recently been built in amongst the numerous plantations of bananas. Before the advent of EU directives, Kissonerga was awash with these thriving plantations, but now, sadly, many of them have fallen into decay as the bananas produced did not fit the exacting criteria that allowed them to be exported within the EU.

Among the establishments to be found in Kissonerga, are a horse-riding centre [Dubin, Marc (2002) "The Rough Guide to Cyprus" Rough Guides, London, p. 170, ISBN 1-85828-863-0 ] and the boat yard which sells, repairs and services boats of all shapes and sizes.

Also the new Paphos Marina will be constructed at "Potima" area, which located to the west of Kissonerga and will have a capacity of 1.000 vessels.

Myluthkia

To the north of Kissonerga a rare settlement of the Chalcolithic culture characteristic of the Paphos region, which lasted for about a millennium (3500-2500 BCE), has been discovered. The site is an important settlement and evidence suggests that a powerful fertility goddess was worshipped here, who protected childbirth and infants. Among the many artefacts found there are a clay figurine of a woman seated on a stool in the act of childbirth and a unique limestone statuette representing a pregnant woman with a phallic neck.

The village consisted of clusters of round houses (some of which have been reconstructed on the site) built of stone and mud and with no defensive walls around it. Its inhabitants lived on hunting, fishing, herding and the gathering and growing of various plants. They made tools in stone, bone and deer antler and knew pottery, stone and wood carving, weaving, and basketry. They also used a few small copper objects.

Experts’ analyses of human remains found at the site confirm the existence of thalassaemia, a blood disorder that affects the production of haemoglobin and results in severe anaemia. The disorder is passed from parent to child via genes and is the most common inherited blood disorder in the world. Thalassaemia is particularly prevalent in people from Mediterranean countries and a broad region extending across the Middle East and South East Asia.

Notes

References

* Peltenburg, Edhsr J. and Bolger, Diane R. (2003) "The Colonisation and Settlement of Cyprus: Investigations at Kissonerga-Mylouthkia, 1976-1996" P. Åström, Sävedalen, Sweden, ISBN 91-7081-119-9 (about Late Bronze age settlements in Cyprus)