Paphos

Paphos, on the southwest coast of Cyprus, has been inhabited since the Neolithic period and was the center of the cult of Aphrodite, whose temple was erected by Mycenaeans in the 12th century BC. Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980, the site encompasses Old Paphos (Kouklia) with Aphrodite's Sanctuary and New Paphos (Kato Paphos) with its monumental Tombs of the Kings necropolis carved from solid rock in the 4th century BC. The archaeological park preserves spectacular 3rd-5th century Roman floor mosaics in four villas -- the Houses of Dionysos, Aion, Theseus, and Orpheus -- considered among the finest in the eastern Mediterranean.