Paphos

Paphos, also spelled Pafos, is a coastal city in southwest Cyprus and the capital of the Paphos District. In classical antiquity, two locations were known as Paphos: Old Paphos (now called Kouklia) and New Paphos. It is the fourth-largest city in the country, after Nicosia, Limassol, and Larnaca, with an urban population of 55,000. The modern city of Paphos lies on the Mediterranean coast, about 50 km (30 mi) west of Limassol, the island's largest port; the two cities are connected by the A6 highway. Paphos International Airport is the country's second-largest airport, and serves as a gateway to western and southern Cyprus. The city has a subtropical-Mediterranean climate, and experiences the mildest temperatures on the island. Paphos was a city-kingdom of Cyprus in antiquity. UNESCO inscribed the ruins of ancient Paphos as a World Heritage Site in 1980 under criterion (iii) for its unique testimony to a vanished civilization and criterion (vi) for its direct association with events or traditions of outstanding universal value. The Paphos World Heritage Site is managed by the Cyprus Department of Antiquities.