OLD NICOSIA inside the city walls is to be declared an ancient monument to protect the rich cultural heritage buried under its surface, the Head of the Antiquities Department said yesterday.
Sophoclis Hadjisavvas told the Cyprus Mail that designating old Nicosia an ancient monument was long overdue, given that Larnaca, built on the ancient site of Kition, and Paphos had already been granted this status some time ago. The step is being taken to monitor town development in line with the protection and preservation of ancient remains, he said.
Hadjisavvas said the move was significant for the Antiquities Department in its efforts to preserve cultural heritage, as building authorities (Nicosia municipality and the Town Planning Department) would have to send any application for a building permit to the department for comment.
This gave the Antiquities Department the opportunity to investigate a location before developers advanced too far in construction.
It was in the builders’ interests to have an idea of what to expect, Hadjisavvas said. “By having such control,” he said, “the department no longer has to find out by chance that development is taking place, thereby ruining, in some cases, any chance of recovery of ancient remains.”
The Antiquities Department believes this process will not hinder the development of the city, as many artifacts found are movable.
Regarding the recent excavations on the site earmarked for the new town hall, Hadjisavvas confirmed that development had stopped since the findings revealed the possible remains of a palace thought to have been built by the Lusignans almost 800 years ago — the first to be built in Nicosia.
He said his department was working closely with the municipality to find a way to build the new town hall in conjunction with preserving the ancient remains.
Nicosia Mayor Michalakis Zampelas said the municipality had no problem co-operating with the Antiquities Department but would take a decision on Hadjisavvas’ proposal after meeting with him today to hear it in detail.
The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.
