The Akamas municipality recently announced its intention to build a new archaeological museum in the Peyia area of Paphos.
This decision was taken following the discovery of important historical relics during excavations at Cape Drepanon on the west coast of the city.
Archaeologists found early Christian basilicas, a baptistery and a necropolis. The mayor of the municipality of Akamasa, Marinos Lambrou, said that a new museum would be opened to house them, which would, among other things, help promote the area to tourists and locals.
Interestingly, it did not take long to find investors willing to put up the money to make this project a reality. On Monday 31 March, the Korantina Homes Group announced its willingness to support the Akamas municipality's initiative. The developer stressed that the decision to donate €1.5 million, which will cover the full cost of the new museum building, is part of Korantina Homes Group's wider social strategy to strengthen the cultural infrastructure of Paphos and support activities that contribute to the preservation of historical memory and the promotion of the region's identity.
Korantina Homes Group is deeply grateful to all concerned academic and local organisations who work tirelessly to showcase the history and cultural heritage of our region. After all, for Paphos to thrive, its historical and cultural continuity must be preserved alongside development projects," said Korantina Homes.
Recall that on Saturday 29 March a lecture was held in Paphos where experts discussed the findings at Cape Drepanon. They noted that it was a commercial, religious and strategic centre from antiquity to the Byzantine period. Dr Haralambos Bakirtzis, world-renowned archaeologist and director of the Greek Archaeological Mission at Agios Georgios Peyia, was the keynote speaker.
He gave a detailed analysis of the historical and archaeological significance of the area, drawing extensively on the results of the excavations. He spoke about the maritime links between Paphos and Alexandria in Egypt, as well as the historical significance of the local quarries. For his part, Akamas mayor Marinos Lambrou said that the authorities intend to build an archaeological museum near the site to preserve the relics found.