Landmark site applies for place on Unesco list

Cape Aspro and Petra tou Romiou could be included in the Unesco Cultural heritage list if a proposal by Environment Commissioner Antonia Theodosiou and the communities of Pissouri and Kouklia is approved.

Speaking on Saturday, she said the community council of Pissouri is pushing for international recognition of the area for its culture, natural environment and impressive geomorphology.

“The unparalleled beauty of Cape Aspros, the biodiversity, history and mythology that accompany it are important components to be able to promote its inclusion as a monument of natural and cultural heritage in the Unesco World Heritage List,” she said.

For an area to be included in this list it needs to have outstanding universal value and meet at least one of the 10 criteria set by the International World Heritage Convention, which include cultural, archaeological, geological and biological elements.

The goal is to include the area located within the two communities in its entirety in addition to its connection with Palaipafos and the myth about the birth of the Goddess Aphrodite.

This proposal, she said, increases the chances of success.

It would be the second mixed heritage area in Cyprus, after the southern part of Mathiatis mine, which is included in the list since 2002.

Cape Aspros is designated a Special Protection Area due to the presence of the black falcon, the shag, the zanos, the wheatear and the wooddozer, but also a Special Area of Conservation due to the presence of seven habitat types and other important species of flora and fauna. These highlight the great ecological value of the area, Theodosiou added.

The impressive geological formations that extend from the gulf of Pissouri west to Petra Romiou, have enormous geological and archaeological value, she said, as recent discoveries show indications of a small settlement at the site. The limestone of Petra tou Romiou has fossilized corals, algae and others.