Argaka
Argaka is situated 45 kilometers northeast of Paphos in the homonymous province of Cyprus and 10 kilometers east of Polis Chrysochous.
Between the village of Pomos and the picturesque fishing village of Latsi, emerges Argaka, a quiet and traditional village surrounded by plains and the scenic mountains of the west coast of the island of Cyprus. Southeast of the village, there is the Argaka – Makounda Dam, 41 meters high and with a capacity of 990 thousand cubic meters, built to exploit the large currents flowing in the area. The existence of the dam probably explains the current name of the settlement (“arcadtzin”, which in the local dialect means the “great current”).
Due to the irrigation of the soil, a huge variety of products is cultivated here. The warm climate of the village, the alluvial deposits, the terra rosa and the terra umbra help in the cultivation of some semi-tropical plants as well as the tobacco whose growth spread when refugees from Karpasia settled here. In addition, livestock farming in the area is considered quite well developed, although the majority of Argaka’s permanent residents are engaged in agriculture.
The village is divided into two settlements: Pano Argaka (Upper Argaka), the old village, and Kato Argaka (Lower Argaka), which followed in the steps of the tourist development of Polis Chrysochous. Argaka is a sparsely populated village located between the sea and the pine forest, while a dirt road to the east of the village leads to the forest of Paphos.
No one knows whether Argaka was a feudal or a royal estate during the Venetian period of Cyprus. Writers and travelers of the past century report the settlement as modern, since today’s Kato Argaka has not existed since ancient times, as opposed to the neighboring village of Makounda.
In the village of Argaka there is a kindergarten and a primary school, there are several agrotouristic lodgings and some traditional restaurants, while on the coast of the village there is one of the most important beaches of the Natura 2000 network in Cyprus, the beach Argaka. To the east of the settlement is the Agia Varvara Monastery of Argaka, which probably was the central nucleus of the settlement in the past, and near it the holy spring of the monastery, known as the monk’s fountain. Also in the village there are many churches and Byzantine chapels, such as the central church of the Apostles Peter and Paul, and the chapel of St. George.
Finally, access to Argaka is easy with the use of public transportation, despite the fact that the direct transport link to Nicosia has been blocked since 1974.