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Cyprus: Historical and Descriptive
The sudden interest created by recent political events in everything relating to Cyprus, an island which, from its geographical position, seems destined to play no unimportant part in modern history, has rendered the appearance of Herr von Löher’s narrative of his recent journeyings through the length and breadth of that country extremely welcome. It is therefore with much pleasure we have received permission from the Author to lay before the British Public an adaptation of his book (only published during the last few days) which seems well suited to supply information, such as is at present much needed in England.
The island of Cyprus from the first dawn of civilisation has been classic ground, extremely interesting to antiquaries, and its history throughout the Middle Ages is largely blended with tales of chivalry and romantic incidents, such as in these matter-of-fact times are scarcely cared for by speculators, whose object is to obtain reliable information on subjects of more practical importance, such as the resources of the country, the character of its soil, the capabilities of its surface, and the industry of its inhabitants. Lessons upon these points are only to be learned from a careful survey, such as that accomplished by our author, who, uninfluenced by prejudice, describes in simple narrative the actual condition of the island, the scenery of the interior, and the everyday employments and pursuits of the people, thus removing many erroneous impressions as to the condition of the Cypriotes, and leaving the reader to form his own opinion as to the status and prospects of our new acquisition. All information connected with these points we have carefully rendered, only omitting such matter as appeared irrelevant, and calculated unnecessarily to increase the size of the book. Additional information gleaned from various sources, relative to the general history and statistics of the island, is to be found in the Appendix.
That the climate of Cyprus is delightful, the soil prolific, and the landscape in some parts of the country of surpassing beauty, we have abundant testimony in the writings of classic authors, and there is no reason to suppose that in these respects its attractions have deteriorated. A late writer, J. Jasinides, who died at a good old age at Koutzovendi, in Cyprus, in 1871, at the conclusion of his work “Les Iles Mediterranée,” thus expresses himself: “For forty years I have been wandering from isle to isle, ascertaining their political, commercial, and social aspect, and this island (Cyprus) notwithstanding the barbarism of its present rulers, through which it is cut off from the rest of the world, is my favourite.... It is a little world in itself; here do I wish to die. My limited means will keep me in comparative luxury. Although old, I am strong and feel young, no wild beasts or reptiles disturb my solitude, the water is sweet and cool, the wine is nectar, and the food plain but good; above all I know that my grave will be respected, and that kind hands will close my eyes.”
The island of Cyprus from the first dawn of civilisation has been classic ground, extremely interesting to antiquaries, and its history throughout the Middle Ages is largely blended with tales of chivalry and romantic incidents, such as in these matter-of-fact times are scarcely cared for by speculators, whose object is to obtain reliable information on subjects of more practical importance, such as the resources of the country, the character of its soil, the capabilities of its surface, and the industry of its inhabitants. Lessons upon these points are only to be learned from a careful survey, such as that accomplished by our author, who, uninfluenced by prejudice, describes in simple narrative the actual condition of the island, the scenery of the interior, and the everyday employments and pursuits of the people, thus removing many erroneous impressions as to the condition of the Cypriotes, and leaving the reader to form his own opinion as to the status and prospects of our new acquisition. All information connected with these points we have carefully rendered, only omitting such matter as appeared irrelevant, and calculated unnecessarily to increase the size of the book. Additional information gleaned from various sources, relative to the general history and statistics of the island, is to be found in the Appendix.
That the climate of Cyprus is delightful, the soil prolific, and the landscape in some parts of the country of surpassing beauty, we have abundant testimony in the writings of classic authors, and there is no reason to suppose that in these respects its attractions have deteriorated. A late writer, J. Jasinides, who died at a good old age at Koutzovendi, in Cyprus, in 1871, at the conclusion of his work “Les Iles Mediterranée,” thus expresses himself: “For forty years I have been wandering from isle to isle, ascertaining their political, commercial, and social aspect, and this island (Cyprus) notwithstanding the barbarism of its present rulers, through which it is cut off from the rest of the world, is my favourite.... It is a little world in itself; here do I wish to die. My limited means will keep me in comparative luxury. Although old, I am strong and feel young, no wild beasts or reptiles disturb my solitude, the water is sweet and cool, the wine is nectar, and the food plain but good; above all I know that my grave will be respected, and that kind hands will close my eyes.”
287 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1878
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June 21, 2021
Cyprus: Historical and Descriptive by Franz Von Löher (adapted from the German, 1878)
Available here: https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/47056
(I am writing my reviews of Von Löher's Cyprus and Agnes Smith Lewis' Through Cyprus as both traversed Cyprus within five years of each other and made similar observations. Lewis cites Voh Löher's book at points.)
This is the first book I would recommend to anyone moving to Cyprus. It's free on Gutenberg, gives a glimpse into some of the now-famous historical sites, and ignites the imagination of what life was like here in the late 1800s. Much of the old ways in the villages that Van Löher describes still exist today and the echoes are definitely evident to any observant traveler.
This is one of a series of books that were published by eager travelers to Cyprus just after Great Britain and Turkey reached their agreement for Cyprus to become a British protectorate in exchange for annual tribute to Turkey. Löher was apparently a "German jurist and historian" who had spent extensive time in the United States and brought his knowledge of Western history with him to Cyprus. He appears to have arrived with some amount of nobility, the German consul arranges for him to have a dragoman as a guide and the Pacha of Cyprus sends a welcoming party upon his arrival in Nicosia; the pacha provides aid and guarantees of protection as well as a zaptieh to guide. The ease on which he arrives and clears customs, travels across Cyprus on horseback, traverses mountains, and finds lodging is in stark contrast to Agnes Smith Lewis' memoir just five years later. Given his age, it is possible that he embellishes his journey and accomplishments of scaling Troodos in the snow or to Buffavento with discouragement of his guides. How much of the history he relays was actually factual or is conjecture on the part of the author is unknown to me. But Van Löher was an accomplished researcher in his day, the sites he visits are authentic, and his travels elsewhere put him in touch with the right people for information.
As Von Löher visits local sights, he learns various stories about the significance from the locals. In those days, Cyprus was differently diverse than today. In the Ottoman Pacha's service is an Armenian Catholic, for example. Some of the places Von Löher mentions, like the Phaneromene Panagia in Larnaca (which I used the help of r/Cyprus to identify), are more forgotten or neglected by travelers today. The murky history of Buffavento castle and nearby monastery were interesting as there is no information posted today when I have visited such places. Archaeology was in its infacy then and many sites had not been fully excavated or understood. This leads to some conjecture about certain sites being Phoenician burial or religious sites and statements such as: "The conversion of the Aphrodite into the 'Aphroditissa' occurred during the earliest days of Christianity, when the sensual culture of Venus gave place to the pure worship of the Virgin Mother." Much of the history he recounts of Cyprus from prehistory through the Ottoman days would have been known from Greek, Roman, and European histories of the time. Löher writes a concise summary of eras as interlude chapters when traveling between areas in Cyprus.
"Already ten dynasties have ruled in Cyprus—first the Phoenicians, then the Greeks, to these succeeded the Persians, the Egyptian, the Roman and the Byzantine ages, next come the Arabian, the Frankish, and the Venetian rulers, and lastly, for nearly three hundred years, the whole country has been subject to the rule of the Turk; the worst period of its history. The earliest condition of Cyprus is involved in misty obscurity."
One of the most interesting stories in the book come from the Pacha; the author recounts a story of local uprising in 1764 when a pacha from Istanbul imposed a harsh tax and punishments. Locally ethnic Turks and Greeks alike rose up in rebellion, with thousands inhabiting Kyrenia castle in defiance of the pacha. Eventually the Porte in Istanbul accepted the please of Cypriot archbishops which resulted in two pachas awkwardly holding the position. In the political intrigue that follows, other nations and mercenaries land in Cyprus to take advantage of the situation. Battles ensue in Famagusta and Kyrenia. In the end:
"All those who had been implicated in the late revolts, and were still free, quitted Cyprus. Many, however, were captured before they reached the coast. Investigations into the recent events were set on foot in Nikosia, and at its conclusion two hundred of the accused were decapitated. Their heads, with that of Halil Aga, were salted down, and sent to Constantinople, with a full account of what had occurred in this island...So ended a sad page in the history of this unlucky island, which during these three years of insurrection, had lost the flower of her Turkish population, and seen her castles and buildings destroyed. These ruins were never rebuilt; successive misfortunes and the insecurity of the future prospects of the island seem to have quenched all spirit of emulation and progress in the much-tried population, and Cyprus appeared to have finally lost her proud place in the world’s history."
Van Löher makes many comments about the people and their governance over the ages. One phrase he uses (translated from his German into English) is "indolent" to describe Cypriot people. "Indolence" rears its head when his guides don't want to trek up the mountains with him or when he notes certain ruins or enterprises that are neglected. Van Löher suggests it is a combination of millenia of colonization and exploitation by the various rulers of the region as well as cultural and Greek Orthodox religious factors.
"Cyprus, of late years, has been gradually sinking to decay through the supine indolence and indifference of her degraded population. In no particular does the whole surface of the country suffer so severely as in the utter devastation of her mountain forests." The Ottomans were the latest in a long line of conquerers who used Cypriot forests for shipbuilding. The author notes that the Troodos mountains were being stripped barren by logging and there were no efforts at cultivation or replanting, leading to scarcity and other environmental problems like erosion..."I made many attempts to open the eyes of the people to the utter folly of such a course of action, and was generally met with the answer that it was done by the wish of the Turkish Government. The Cypriotes have become so accustomed to attribute every evil of their lives to this source, that they actually appear to consider their late rulers responsible for their own reckless indolence."
"Many of the fine old walls (of Nicosia) have been broken down within some feet of the ground, and upon them wretched little huts of wood and clay erected to serve as a hasty refuge for some indigent family. If asked why they do not bestow more care upon their houses, the indolent workmen will inform you, that, 'it is not worth while to build better on account of the frequent earthquakes.' On these occasions I have often felt tempted to inquire if earthquakes were only known to the modern Cypriotes?"
Van Löher had the privelege of traveling Cyprus during Easter and seeing its festivities in a village. He remarks on the complexity of Orthodox holidays and rituals and credits some indolence to the restrictions on nutrition. "I am told that the number of these (religious fasting) days amounts to no less than a hundred and fifty in the course of the year!"
The author visits Paphos and examines the then-disorganized sites and ruins that are now a UNESCO World Heritage site. Later in ancient Amathus he finds various shards of pottery and other relics and recounts stories of the looting of sites for material, notably large stones, to build ports in Egypt and elsewhere.
The author is optimistic about British rule greatly increasing the fortunes of Cyprus. "May we not trust that under British rule, her barren wastes and plains may once more speedily become fruitful fields, and her people again reap the blessings and benefits of a pure Christian Church, and a paternal Government. He ends the book with a look at statistics regarding the economy and trade. He arrives at a total population of "150,000, of whom about a third are Turks" based on speaking with various locals: "As regards the population of Cyprus, I was told that the Turks numbered about 200,000, and Greeks 100,000. An European observer, who was long a resident here, reckoned 100,000 Greeks, 40,000 Turks, and 1000 Maronites and Roman Catholics." He ends with an appendix recounting how a Papal bull prevented Frederick the Great from becoming ruler of Cyprus, and one wonders what might have gone differently had Germany been ruler for a time.
In all, I give it four stars.
Available here: https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/47056
(I am writing my reviews of Von Löher's Cyprus and Agnes Smith Lewis' Through Cyprus as both traversed Cyprus within five years of each other and made similar observations. Lewis cites Voh Löher's book at points.)
This is the first book I would recommend to anyone moving to Cyprus. It's free on Gutenberg, gives a glimpse into some of the now-famous historical sites, and ignites the imagination of what life was like here in the late 1800s. Much of the old ways in the villages that Van Löher describes still exist today and the echoes are definitely evident to any observant traveler.
This is one of a series of books that were published by eager travelers to Cyprus just after Great Britain and Turkey reached their agreement for Cyprus to become a British protectorate in exchange for annual tribute to Turkey. Löher was apparently a "German jurist and historian" who had spent extensive time in the United States and brought his knowledge of Western history with him to Cyprus. He appears to have arrived with some amount of nobility, the German consul arranges for him to have a dragoman as a guide and the Pacha of Cyprus sends a welcoming party upon his arrival in Nicosia; the pacha provides aid and guarantees of protection as well as a zaptieh to guide. The ease on which he arrives and clears customs, travels across Cyprus on horseback, traverses mountains, and finds lodging is in stark contrast to Agnes Smith Lewis' memoir just five years later. Given his age, it is possible that he embellishes his journey and accomplishments of scaling Troodos in the snow or to Buffavento with discouragement of his guides. How much of the history he relays was actually factual or is conjecture on the part of the author is unknown to me. But Van Löher was an accomplished researcher in his day, the sites he visits are authentic, and his travels elsewhere put him in touch with the right people for information.
As Von Löher visits local sights, he learns various stories about the significance from the locals. In those days, Cyprus was differently diverse than today. In the Ottoman Pacha's service is an Armenian Catholic, for example. Some of the places Von Löher mentions, like the Phaneromene Panagia in Larnaca (which I used the help of r/Cyprus to identify), are more forgotten or neglected by travelers today. The murky history of Buffavento castle and nearby monastery were interesting as there is no information posted today when I have visited such places. Archaeology was in its infacy then and many sites had not been fully excavated or understood. This leads to some conjecture about certain sites being Phoenician burial or religious sites and statements such as: "The conversion of the Aphrodite into the 'Aphroditissa' occurred during the earliest days of Christianity, when the sensual culture of Venus gave place to the pure worship of the Virgin Mother." Much of the history he recounts of Cyprus from prehistory through the Ottoman days would have been known from Greek, Roman, and European histories of the time. Löher writes a concise summary of eras as interlude chapters when traveling between areas in Cyprus.
"Already ten dynasties have ruled in Cyprus—first the Phoenicians, then the Greeks, to these succeeded the Persians, the Egyptian, the Roman and the Byzantine ages, next come the Arabian, the Frankish, and the Venetian rulers, and lastly, for nearly three hundred years, the whole country has been subject to the rule of the Turk; the worst period of its history. The earliest condition of Cyprus is involved in misty obscurity."
One of the most interesting stories in the book come from the Pacha; the author recounts a story of local uprising in 1764 when a pacha from Istanbul imposed a harsh tax and punishments. Locally ethnic Turks and Greeks alike rose up in rebellion, with thousands inhabiting Kyrenia castle in defiance of the pacha. Eventually the Porte in Istanbul accepted the please of Cypriot archbishops which resulted in two pachas awkwardly holding the position. In the political intrigue that follows, other nations and mercenaries land in Cyprus to take advantage of the situation. Battles ensue in Famagusta and Kyrenia. In the end:
"All those who had been implicated in the late revolts, and were still free, quitted Cyprus. Many, however, were captured before they reached the coast. Investigations into the recent events were set on foot in Nikosia, and at its conclusion two hundred of the accused were decapitated. Their heads, with that of Halil Aga, were salted down, and sent to Constantinople, with a full account of what had occurred in this island...So ended a sad page in the history of this unlucky island, which during these three years of insurrection, had lost the flower of her Turkish population, and seen her castles and buildings destroyed. These ruins were never rebuilt; successive misfortunes and the insecurity of the future prospects of the island seem to have quenched all spirit of emulation and progress in the much-tried population, and Cyprus appeared to have finally lost her proud place in the world’s history."
Van Löher makes many comments about the people and their governance over the ages. One phrase he uses (translated from his German into English) is "indolent" to describe Cypriot people. "Indolence" rears its head when his guides don't want to trek up the mountains with him or when he notes certain ruins or enterprises that are neglected. Van Löher suggests it is a combination of millenia of colonization and exploitation by the various rulers of the region as well as cultural and Greek Orthodox religious factors.
"Cyprus, of late years, has been gradually sinking to decay through the supine indolence and indifference of her degraded population. In no particular does the whole surface of the country suffer so severely as in the utter devastation of her mountain forests." The Ottomans were the latest in a long line of conquerers who used Cypriot forests for shipbuilding. The author notes that the Troodos mountains were being stripped barren by logging and there were no efforts at cultivation or replanting, leading to scarcity and other environmental problems like erosion..."I made many attempts to open the eyes of the people to the utter folly of such a course of action, and was generally met with the answer that it was done by the wish of the Turkish Government. The Cypriotes have become so accustomed to attribute every evil of their lives to this source, that they actually appear to consider their late rulers responsible for their own reckless indolence."
"Many of the fine old walls (of Nicosia) have been broken down within some feet of the ground, and upon them wretched little huts of wood and clay erected to serve as a hasty refuge for some indigent family. If asked why they do not bestow more care upon their houses, the indolent workmen will inform you, that, 'it is not worth while to build better on account of the frequent earthquakes.' On these occasions I have often felt tempted to inquire if earthquakes were only known to the modern Cypriotes?"
Van Löher had the privelege of traveling Cyprus during Easter and seeing its festivities in a village. He remarks on the complexity of Orthodox holidays and rituals and credits some indolence to the restrictions on nutrition. "I am told that the number of these (religious fasting) days amounts to no less than a hundred and fifty in the course of the year!"
The author visits Paphos and examines the then-disorganized sites and ruins that are now a UNESCO World Heritage site. Later in ancient Amathus he finds various shards of pottery and other relics and recounts stories of the looting of sites for material, notably large stones, to build ports in Egypt and elsewhere.
The author is optimistic about British rule greatly increasing the fortunes of Cyprus. "May we not trust that under British rule, her barren wastes and plains may once more speedily become fruitful fields, and her people again reap the blessings and benefits of a pure Christian Church, and a paternal Government. He ends the book with a look at statistics regarding the economy and trade. He arrives at a total population of "150,000, of whom about a third are Turks" based on speaking with various locals: "As regards the population of Cyprus, I was told that the Turks numbered about 200,000, and Greeks 100,000. An European observer, who was long a resident here, reckoned 100,000 Greeks, 40,000 Turks, and 1000 Maronites and Roman Catholics." He ends with an appendix recounting how a Papal bull prevented Frederick the Great from becoming ruler of Cyprus, and one wonders what might have gone differently had Germany been ruler for a time.
In all, I give it four stars.
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