In the 18th century, Larnaca was suffering from a shortage of water. To alleviate the problem, the wealthy Ottoman governor had a series of three aqueducts built in Roman style.
The aqueducts stretched from the Tremithos River – nine kilometers through the area north of the Kiti dam — and on to the south-west of the town. Work on the aqueducts was begun in 1747 and was completed within three years. The aqueduct were made from limestone hewn from ancient Kitium and had ‘U’ shaped stone channels. The water was brought to town through a chain of wells along the river bank, but later as larger water supplies were needed two boreholes were dug and the aqueducts were used until 1939.
Today, this aqueduct is the only one that remains and stands just three kilometers from the town close to the main road. It is known at the ‘Kamares Aquaduct’ from the Greek word meaning ‘archway’. Much of the aqueduct is still standing but what is an interesting fact is that none of the remaining 33 arches is identical in width!
The Kamares Aqueduct, Larnaca, is definitely worth seeing on your Cyprus holiday.
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