The Tomb of the Kings

After yesterday's washout, the weather was much better today. There was one early hail shower, and then it stayed largely dry, although we could often see showers in the distance. The temperature held at a pleasant 18C, which made it ideal for exploring.

Pete, Chris and I went for an early walk to a local set of limestone pools, where a blunt-nosed viper had been seen last year, but unfortunately we didn't find it. Nevertheless, there was plenty to interest us, including my first Tongue-orchid Serapias aphrodite. These were only just coming into flower, so I was really delighted to find one in bloom.

After a snack all of us headed off to the Tomb of the Kings near Paphos, which involved driving along the same road as yesterday, though today there was a view, which nearly caused me not to notice that a large chunk of the road had fallen off. Pete went very white! 

The Tomb of the Kings is a large necropolis lying about two kilometres north-west of Paphos. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The underground tombs, many of which date back to the 4th century BC, are carved out of solid rock, and are thought to have been the burial sites of Paphitic aristocrats and high officials up to the third century AD (the name comes from the magnificence of the tombs; no kings were in fact buried here). Some of the tombs feature Doric columns and frescoed walls. Archaeological excavations are still being carried out at the site. The tombs are cut into the native rock, and at times imitated the houses of the living.


As well as the historical interest, the site proved to have some very interesting wildlife. My favourite species was the Three-horned Stock Matthiola tricuspidata, which was growing at the top of the beach. Chris spent a lot of time photographing birds (using my 300mm len) including Isabelline Warblers, Cretzschmar's Buntings and a Woodchat Shrike. We also saw our first Hoopoe of the trip. But perhaps the most excitement was caused by Chris finding a Sun Spider (Solifugae) under a stone. These magnificent beasts live in dry climates and feed opportunistically on ground-dwelling arthropods and other small animals.


We left the site in the mid-afternoon and still had time to make brief visits to Agios Giorgios, a fishing village with a splendid church (and a Blue Rock-thrush) and the Pegiea Forest, where we found many hundreds of Small Adder's-tongue Fern Ophioglossum azoricum fronds, which I'd only ever seen once before, on the Isles of Scilly. An excellent day all round!