Rocks of Hasampoulia

Rocks of Hasampoulia are one of the many natural attractions of Paphos province in Cyprus that a traveller can visit.

It is an impressive natural landscape with bulky stones of crystallized limestone of coralligenous origin that overhang by the street surrounded by lavish nature. They can be found after Kouklia on the old road that connects Mamonia with Agios Georgios of Paphos, Trachypedoula and Kidasi.

Legend has it that a family terrorized locals and by passers during the British occupation of the island. It was the Hasampoulia family with Turkish Cypriot descent who used to live in Episkopi of Limassol and moved to the neighboring village of Mamonia during the British occupation of Cyprus. The family had three sons and a daughter. The 3 brothers used the rocks as their hideout as they offered good view of the surrounding area and a place to hide.

In 1887 the oldest son of the family named Hassan stole a sheep and was condemned to 7 years of prison. While he was transferred to the prison he managed to escape and hide on the mountain for one and a half years. During this time he committed three murders before he was arrested again and he had malaria. The court sentenced him to life imprisonment for one of the three murders he had committed, as there was insufficient evidence for the other two. Meanwhile since 1892 the other two brothers, Ahmed Kaimakam Mehmet (Mehmet Ahmet Poullis) and Hussein Kavounis (Chousein Ahmet Poullis) had continued the criminal activity of their brother and for two years had committed a series of murders, rapes and kidnappings. Their first murder according to sources was in a feast where they killed a Greek Cypriot. Indeed, the witnesses of the times say that they used to come in residents homes while they were inside and they were eating, drinking and then raping the women before the eyes of defenseless children and their father.

Finally, in 1896 they were arrested in a house in Kidasi when they were betrayed by a good friend of them. The brothers began to shoot at police who returned fire, killing Kavounis and arrested Kaimakam who was later sentenced to death. That same year and after learning about the death of his brother, Hassan managed to escape again but few meters outside the prison, the police caught up and shot him. The three brothers who, had a bounty on their heads by the British, were active for almost 10 years (end of 1880 to beginning of 1890) and they passed through forty villages of Paphos and Limassol provinces committing more than 20 murders, kidnappings, rapes and thefts. According to tradition, the mother of Hasampoulia, Ayse Chavva was very proud of the actions of her children and sometimes she even participated as a member of the gang, collecting information about police movements, as well as the next target of robbers, and save them from traps or ambushes that the police had set up.

Today the Rocks of Hasampoulia are a popular destination amongst climbing enthusiasts and it is worth visiting for the spectacular landscape and the nice view.