Dali

Dali is situated about 17 kilometers south of Nicosia in the homonymous province of Cyprus and it is located 35 kilometers southeast of Larnaca, 70 kilometers southwest of Limassol and 155 kilometers from Paphos.

Initially, the community was located on the southern side of the Yialia river, but since 1983, a more modern settlement has been established in the northeast, extending to the city of Nicosia. Today, it includes two residential areas, an agricultural and a forage area, as well as two industrial zones. With approximately 12,000 permanent residents, over an area of ​​32 square kilometers, with an average altitude of about 220 meters, Dali is covered with dense vegetation (citrus, eucalypti and olives) along the river, carob trees, almond trees, and many grain crops.

Situated in the heart of Cyprus, Dali is also divided into two separate parishes (Virgin Mary Evangelistria – in the old village, and Saints Konstantinos and Eleni – in the modern community). In addition, it is an independent municipality with honorary citizens – including Glafkos Clerides and former Greek Prime Minister Kostas Simitis, and has also been twinned with the municipality of Acharnes in Greece, the French town of Combs la Ville and Orte in Italy. There is also based the Holy Metropolis of the occupied Trimythounta.

The founding of the Dali dates back to 1100 BC when the Peloponnesian king Halkanor founded Idalion (one of the 11 ancient kingdoms of Cyprus) after a prophecy at the end of the Trojan War according to which he had to build a city where the sun will rise. Its name seems to have come from when the King, during his trip to Cyprus in order to find the place that corresponded to the prophecy, one of his soldiers cried out “idou alion” (a phrase which means "I saw the sun"). This ancient kingdom was built on the northern slope of the small mountain range of Ierakarka, and the surrounding villages were part of its estate. According to findings from ancient tombs, the city of Idalion had been inhabited since the 12th century BC until the end of Roman times (400 AD). From various inscriptions and coins of the time, it seems that in the ancient capital the Greek element was dominant, proved by the fact that the city operated on democratic terms. Until the 6th-5th century BC, Idalio had about 10000 inhabitants, a number that grew increasingly as the years went by. In 470 BC the city passes into the hands of the Phoenicians with the help of the Persians, and then begins a period of decline for the city of Idalion. Nevertheless, the city was never abandoned, although it was constantly changing its inner system. During Byzantium, it was confronted with the raids of the Saracens, and the city was captured by them around the year 1426. Between the years 1191-1489 AD the Crusaders and the Lusignans came to Cyprus, and the feudal system was adopted. All the land is transferred to the King of Franks, his nobles, knights and the Latin Church. In modern history, around 1474, the old village of Dali is conceded along with other neighboring villages by the Queen of Cyprus Aikaterini Kornaros to the noble Georgios Kontarini, followed by the period of Ottoman domination and the British occupation, up to 1960, when the island of Cyprus is proclaimed as an independent democracy. Finally, the community participated in the developments during the Turkish invasion of 1974, and in 1976 it created a residential housing scheme for the Greek Cypriot refugees.

The ruins of the city of Ancient Idalion, as well as a multitude of important findings (the Dali watermill, the Dali mosque and, in particular, the Dalian inscription, the oldest written contract in the world) compose today the rich history of the ancient city kingdom of Dali. On the two hills of the area were the eastern and western acropolis of the ancient kingdom. The temple of Aphrodite appears to be at the eastern hill, and on the western one, at the main acropolis, there probably was a temple dedicated to Apollo Amykleos. On one of the two peaks there was the temple of the goddess Athena, which was destroyed in 470 BC when the city was conquered by the Kition kings. According to mythology, it is said that in the wider region there were altogether 14 temples, dedicated to various deities, such as Adonis. Below the two citadels, and to the north, was the heart of the city, surrounded by fortifications. Several of the findings of the site are hosted – naturally in various Museums of the island, such as the Local Archaeological Museum of Ancient Idalion, but also in other cultural venues abroad.

Dali was one of the so-called "mixed" districts of Cyprus. A symbol of the Greek-Turkish friendship in the village were the personalities of the Turkish Cypriot Dervis Ali Kavazoglou and Greek Cypriot Kostas Misiaoulis, who were both assassinated in 1965 by Turkish Cypriot nationalists. In addition, two well-known Saints lived and practiced asceticism in the area. On the one hand, Saint Theodore, one of the three hundred "Alaman" saints who came and practiced in Cyprus from Palestine, whose cave is preserved to this day. Agios Demetrianos Andridiotis, on the other hand, who initially served as a soldier, and then practiced near the village of Agridi, where a church dedicated to his memory can be found.

In the wider area of ​​Dali village, there are several ecclesiastical monuments. Besides the churches of the two parishes (the Panagia of Evangelistria, and Agios Konstantinos and Eleni), the church of Agios Dimitrianos of Andridiotou, the Gothic church of Agios Mamas (to the north of the settlement), whose the interior decoration is considered to be a great example of folk art – as a matter of fact, the Greek poet and Nobel Prize winner George Seferis, during his tour in Cyprus in 1953, did not fail to write two lines about it. Finally, the Byzantine church of Agios Georgios the Tropeophoros, as well as the imposing church of Agii Andronikos and Athanasia (in the center of the city).

Dali’s site that works as a natural fort, covering a fertile plain in a region filled with copper deposits, has also contributed to the settlement’s development. Today, the core of the village is located in the middle of the two mountain ranges. Although in the past the majority of the inhabitants were farmers and cultivated potatoes, cotton, seasonal vegetables and grain crops, nowadays they have turned to large livestock production, which amounts to 100,000 litres of milk a day, the largest quantity of milk produced throughout the country of Cyprus.

In the modern community of Dali operates a regional health center, which also serves the surrounding communities, while there is a municipal library, a cultural center and an open-air amphitheater. There are also three elementary schools, a high school and some public and private kindergartens in the village. Finally, there are various clubs, as well as taverns and cafes.

The Dali community is adjacent to the south with the Nisou of Nicosia, to the north with the village of Potamia, and to the south with the settlement of Alambra.