Cyprus, officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea south of the Anatolian Peninsula. It is the third-largest and third-most populous island in the Mediterranean, and is located south of Turkey, west of Syria, northwest of Lebanon, Israel, and the Gaza Strip (Palestine), north of Egypt, and southeast of Greece. Its capital and largest city is Nicosia.
Petra tou Romiou ("Rock of the
"Roman"), also known as Aphrodite's Rock, is a sea stack in Paphos,
Cyprus. It is located off the shore along the main road from Paphos to
Limassol. The combination of the beauty of the area and its status in mythology
as the birthplace of Aphrodite makes it a popular tourist location.
The sea in this region is generally
rough, persuading tourists not to swim there. It is not permitted to climb the
rock. A restaurant, a tourist pavilion and the Aphrodite Hills resort are
nearby.
According to one legend, this rock is
the site of the birth of the goddess Aphrodite, perhaps owing to the foaming
waters around the rock fragments, and for this reason it is known as
Aphrodite's Rock. Gaia (Mother Earth) asked one of her sons, Cronus, to
mutilate his father, Uranus (Sky). Cronus cut off Uranus' testicles and threw
them into the sea.
Similarly, the local version
indicates that Aphrodite’s Rock is a part of the lower body of Uranus. This
legend says that Cronus ambushed his father and cut him below the waist with a
scythe. Uranus, as he tried to escape flying, lost parts of his truncated body
and testicles into the sea. A white foam appeared from which a maiden arose,
the waves first taking her to Kythera and then bringing her to Cyprus. The
maiden, named Aphrodite, went to the assembly of gods from Cyprus. The Romans
widely referred to her as Venus. Aphrodite attracted a large cult following in
Paphos, which was eventually crushed by the Romans. This is evident from the
Sanctuary of Aphrodite in Old Paphos, Kouklia. A local myth is that any person
who swims around the Aphrodite Rock will be blessed with eternal beauty.
Another legend associates the name
Achni with the nearby beach, and attributes this to it being a site where the
Achaeans came ashore on their return from Troy.
The present name Petra tou Romiou
("Rock of the Greek") associates the place with the exploits of the
hero Basil as told in the Digenes Akritas. Basil was half-Byzantine (East Roman
or Romios) and half-Arabic, hence the name Digenes (two-blood). Legend tells
that the Christian Basil hurled a huge rock from the Troodos Mountains to keep
off the invading Saracens. A nearby rock is similarly known as the Saracen
Rock.
Sources :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyprus
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petra_tou_Romiou
https://www.istockphoto.com/id/search/search-by-image?assetid=106423473&affiliateredirect=true&utm_source=pixabay&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=ADP_photo_sponsored&utm_content=http%3A%2F%2Fpixabay.com%2Fid%2Fphotos%2Fsiprus-petra-tou-romiou-5350758%2F&utm_term=cyprus+petra+tou+romiou
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