Must-see
Cyprus Archaeological Museum
The main collection of Cypriot antiquities, from the Neolithic to Roman times.
The story
The Cyprus Museum in Nicosia is the island’s main archaeological museum, and its oldest. It was founded in the 1880s, under British rule, to protect finds from the first legal excavations. Work on the present building began in 1908, and it was dedicated to the memory of Queen Victoria. In 1909 the collections were moved here from the earlier house on Victoria Street. Its fourteen rooms hold finds from the Neolithic to Roman times: hundreds of clay figures from the sanctuary of Agia Irini, a bronze statue of Emperor Septimius Severus, and objects from the royal tombs of Salamis. The museum is run by the Department of Antiquities of Cyprus.
To the question of which Nicosia museum is in the grounds of the Archbishopric, the correct answer is the Byzantine Museum; the option “Archaeological Museum” is a trap. The Cyprus Museum stands separately, outside the old city walls; exam study guides call it the largest archaeological museum in Cyprus.
Visiting
According to the Department of Antiquities, entry is free and the museum is closed on Mondays. Check opening hours on the department’s website before you visit.
On the way
Photos
Sources
- Τμήμα Αρχαιοτήτων — Κυπριακό Μουσείο, Λευκωσία (history, building, rooms, entry)
- Department of Antiquities — Cyprus Museum, Lefkosia (founding, rooms, collections, opening hours)
- Exam question bank (unofficial): «Το Βυζαντινό Μουσείο της Λευκωσίας», option «Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο»
- Hallouminati — Museums of Cyprus (exam guide: the largest archaeological museum)
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