Until
the year 2000, the peninsula was used by the British Army and Navy for military exercises and as a firing
range. Under the 1960 Treaty of Establishment, the British Army was allowed to
use the Akamas for exercises for up to 70 days a year.
At
the southern end of the peninsula is the town of Pegeia and on its northeast side the town of Polis.
Due to the mountainous nature of the peninsula there are no roads
running through its heartland. Furthermore some roads marked on Cypriot road
maps of the area are not tarmaced.
Visitor attractions in Akamas include a loggerhead
turtle sanctuary and the Baths of Aphrodite where the goddess is said to have
bathed, near Polis. As the area is therefore relatively inaccessible, there is
a large diversity of flora and fauna there. Indeed the European Environment Agency noted that it was one of only 22 areas
of endemism in Europe. This however looks like it
may be threatened by tourist development and the planned A7 motorway between
Polis and Paphos; organisations
such as the Green Party of Cyprus, Greenpeace and Friends
of the Earth are taking action to
protect the area.
This natural beauty spot
is steeped in the myths and legends of Cyprus. Set in a pool grotto, surrounded
by greenery, the site is said to be the place where Aphrodite, goddess of Love,
bathed. According to local folktale, bathing in the pools water, could reduce
your age by about 10 years, although eels have been placed in the water in the
past to stop people from getting in the water. Legend also has it that
Aphrodite met her most famous lover, Adonis at this spring. Thank you Merja for this pretty card. Lucky Adonis ;-))
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