Navigating the history of Cyprus

By Amanda Harley

ENGLISH speakers can now take a unique and fascinating journey through 12,000 years of Cypriot history from the comfort of their own homes.

An English language version of the CD-ROM ‘The History of Cyprus’ by Andros Pavlides was launched yesterday, providing a window into local history for all age groups.

The CD-ROM has an interactive time-line format which navigates the user from the mists of time to the present day. More than 3,000 pages of text are accessible via drop-down menus, hot words and multimedia objects.

The subjects are illustrated with pictures, images, videos and animations as the narration guides viewers through topics such as sculpture, theatre, architecture, mosaics and fortifications. Marketing Manager Sarah Fenwick from Alpha Omega — the producers of ‘The History of Cyprus’ — said the new CD-ROM version of the four volume encyclopedic work was being aimed at visitors to Cyprus, expatriate Greek Cypriots and English speaking residents in Cyprus.

She said: “Cyprus does not really sell itself internationally, and now that we are joining the global economy we must focus on the bigger picture, the recent history of Cyprus is just the tip of the iceberg.”

Over 3,000 copies have been made available and the CD-ROM is soon to be launched in London and New York.

At the launch yesterday, author Andros Pavlides told the Cyprus Mail: “It’s an important step for me, the information will now be available all over the world, outside the borders of Cyprus and Greece.”

Treating the world today as one big university, he has spent 13 years carrying out research both from within Cyprus and worldwide to compile what is internationally recognised as the most comprehensive overview of Cyprus history.

In a personal crusade against dusty volumes and footnotes, Pavlides spent another three years writing and experimenting with different styles.

His attention to detail combined with a real interest in the history of Cyprus has led to a lively, informative and, more importantly, user-friendly product.

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.