First Day of Hiking: Aphendrika church, Dipkarpaz, North Cyprus 24.10.25 ‖ Ester Beatty

The ancient APHENDRIKA church located in the village of Dipkarpaz or Rizokarpaso, North Cyprus. Historical and Archaeological Information​ Four kilometres northeast of the village of Dipkarpaz/Rizokarpaso at the site of Aphendrika on the north coast of the Karpas peninsula, the remains of an ancient settlement which was identified as the city of Ourania, mentioned by ancient writers, exists. According to the testimony of the ancient historian Diodorus Siculus (1st c. B.C.) Ourania existed during the Hellenistic period: It was conquered together with the neighbouring city of Karpasia by Demetrius Poliorcetes, the son of Antigonus Monophthalmus, during the conflict between the successors of Alexander the Great for the partition of the Empire. Ourania, however, is not mentioned by ancient geographers and historians who wrote about Cyprus, like Strabo and Claudius Ptolemy, which implies that the city had already been abandoned by their time (1st c. B.C.). The archaeological evidence provided by the necropolises (cemeteries) of Ourania proves the existence of the city between the 6th and the 2nd c. B.C. Source: https://www.tcchcyprus.com/aphendrika/