the sanctuary of apollo

Bbbazzz

Situated between the British Army Garrison of Episkopi and the Amphitheatre at Kourion the Sanctuary of Apollo Hylates is worth a visit. With an entry fee of €2.50 it is well worth a visit. The life of the sanctuary runs from approx 700 BC known as the Archaic period the Hellenic Period of 200 BC and onto the Roman period of the 1st and 2nd Century AD. The ruins are comprehensive and photography is allowed on the site. I spent an enjoyable hour wandering through it and was lucky enough to have the place to myself for most of that time. This let me soak the atmosphere and get a feel for the span of history presented here. The important thing for me was that I could wander through the ruins in any direction and route as there is no set circuit. Beware the fact that it can easily be overlooked. If you are coming from Episkopi Garrison it's on the left about 1 to 2km from the camp. There is just the one sign which is a brown Cyprus Tourism sign.

barbarahk

From the road it doesn't look like very much, but once inside it was a very interesting site and we spent a surprising few hours there. The Roman remains have been well re-constructed and the people/guides there are very helpful and speak excellent English

thomasq290

The Temple of Apollo is actually not much these days, as it's about two pillars and an eighth of a wall. However, the grounds themselves, consisting of the domritories where worshippers would have stayed and the sacred road to the temple are all in reasonably good shape (for ruins). There is an excavation of the local baths, and you can get a sense of the area's importance - people would have journeyed here from afar to have stayed, bathed, and worshipped. It was a great way to experience a bit of Roman life that previously only existed in books in high school. A stone's throw from Kourion, it's definitely worth a visit.

KCrC2011

A very interesting place to walk around and imagine what it would have been like - worth the visit. There are still mosaics in place and the explanations are good.

MichaelChew

Worth a stopover on the way to Kourion. The baths and dormitories were well preserved. Make use of the day ticket if you plan to visit a few archaeological sites and museums in a day.

342leec

This is an amazing place, situated on a huge site on top of a hill not far from Kourion.Although many of the archaeological aspects of this site have been reconstructed, there are also masses of archaeological ruins that really give you a sense of how impressive this place would have looked at the time of its construction. It's a large site and takes a good while to explore fully and absorb the atmosphere. One of the most impressive places we have visited in Cyprus.

Markfp1966

If you are interested in archeology or you have a little one studying the Greek or Roman periods then this really is a place to visit. You will find some interesting historical facts around the site. I loved it!

ItchyfeetUK

Driven past many times, decided to visit this time. Pleasantly surprised by the weath of ancient history at our feet. If you are into history, culture and Cyprus, pay the Sanctuary a visit.The views are pretty stunning too!

kterhark

I visited the Sanctuary of Apollo the day after visiting Aphrodite's temple. It is indeed a change of energy, and I highly recommend comparing the two. The ruins here are more 'intact', and you can still see ancient walls and doorways. the temple itself was partially restored, making this site more easy to imagine.

Superkatt

The Sanctuary of Apollo Hylates, or Apollo of the Woods, was a most important religious site of region. There are to see: wellknown Temple of Apollo, which is the symbol of the Cyprus and can be seen on the front pages of many guidebooks, ruins of the few earlier temple structures and ancient altars, living quarters of the priests with very much architectonic details well-preserved, stoa, palestra, bath complex etc. It is a quiet and tranquil place without a lots of tourist groups. There is a car-parking here, and I beleive ticket costs 4,50 €/adult.The city of Kourion was founded in 14 c BC by colonists from Argos. The oldest structures on the site at present time are from Hellenistic times , ca 350 BC. The sity-site itself lay some 3 km to the east from the Sanctuary, there can be seen the teatre, a number of houses with well-preserved mosaics, agora and other structures. There is separate entrance here, ticket costs 4,50 €/adult. Some kilometer nearby Sanctuary there is a Stadium of Kurion ruins, entrance is free.I should say it takes a whole day (opening times are usually 8-15) if you wish to see all three parts of Kourion site..

AllanandAnna

Built over 2000 years BC this place was FIRST RESTORED in 92 AD - how cool is that. Excellent columns and dormitories, baths and hidden rooms etc. Only a few euro's to get in and well worth it

RobertB148

Compact but very interesting and very pretty site overlooking the sea with some factual boards explaining about the buildings and the history. There are a range of buildings and standing columns on the site but they are overshadowed by the sympathetically restored and massive twin columns and frontage of the Temple of Apollo which also adorns the front of my Cyprus road map. Seeing this alone is worth the entrance money...but why oh why were the power company allowed to build a row of pylons behind the temple which are visible in every vista and every photograph.Very close to the Kourion and so easy to combine a visit.

MuhammadDudha

An absolute majestic place to visit, where legend states the location of where Apollo was worshiped. A lot of the artifacts and alter has been restored through ages, however it is one place from many places within Cyprus not to miss.

linds190819

Such an atmospheric spot to visit if you are an ancient history lover. It gets very hot though there being no shade for quite a lot of the site.

kat89

Enjoyed a brief visit here. Like all Cyprus artefacts, this was well preserved and well looked after.