Dasaki Achnas

Dasaki Achnas is a refugee settlement of the occupied village of Achna in Famagusta, Cyprus, located about 30 kilometers from Ayia Napa and 27 kilometers from Larnaca. Regarding the origins of the name of the village Dasaki Achnas, there are etymological associations with the goddess Athena, but also with the words anthina and achni, which mean blossomed and dew respectively.

Achna is built at an altitude of 50 meters and is also part of the large community of kokkinochoria, the red villages, named so due to the characteristic red earth of the area, while it was considered the largest potato village until 1974. Its inhabitants, after the invasion, found shelter in Dasaki Achnas, and built their new lives around a small forest, which was previously known as a leisure area.

Since then the Dasaki Achnas has been an important husbandry area, while it also has beautiful paved squares, parks, and a great stadium that has spawned a great local football club.

The church – tenement (the artistic work of Avgousta Stylianou) with the exuberant image of Agios Dimitrianos, the protector of the refugees, was used as a temporary residence for the Greek Cypriots in 1974, and is the trademark of Dasaki Achnas, recalling in its construction the difficult “stony” years of the refugees.

In Dasaki Achnas there is a dam that was built in 1987, serving as a natural reserve for migratory birds during autumn, as well as a picnic area and fishing area. Fishing is allowed only in a designated part of the reserve.

Also in Dasaki Achnas there is the Primary School “Fotis Pittas”, honoring the hero of the EOKA’s national liberation struggle, who had worked in the area in the past as a teacher. The school has been operating since 1977 as a prefabricated building, and since 1995 the construction has been modernized.

Near Dasaki Achnas there is a leisure park and a donkey park, a motorcycle track for the motorcyclist lovers and the Xylotymvou village for one more visit.