Timi

Timi is one of the villages of Cyprus located in the province of Paphos and it is situated about 10 kilometers from the homonymous capital, 55 kilometers from Limassol and 140 kilometers from Nicosia.

The year the village of Timi was established is not exact, while regarding the origins of the name of the village there are two versions. The first connects the settlement with the ancient Dimes of Achaia, since its first inhabitants came from there, while the second version refers to the honours (timi in Greek) bestowed upon the goddess Aphrodite by the prehistoric inhabitants of the area. The settlement, however, was a fief during the Frankish rule and was a focal point between ancient Palaipaphos and ancient Paphos.

Initially, Timi was a densely populated, mixed village in which Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots lived peacefully, but after the Turkish invasion of 1974, many refugees came and settled in the village. A reminder of the village’s old history is the refugee settlement that still exists there. Nowadays, the village counts about 1500 permanent residents, most of whom are engaged in agriculture or work at Paphos International Airport and the homonymous capital of the island.

At Timi there are several historical and ancient sites, most notably the “burrows” that gave water to the stone-made drinking fountains of the settlement and the Byzantine church of Agia Sophia, which during the Ottoman domination was turned into a mosque and today is under the protection of the Department of Antiquities. This particular church is believed to have been decorated internally, and afterwards its frescoes were covered with plaster. The main church of the village is Agia Irini, which was built after the British occupation, and is located in the center of the village.

Finally, Timi is a small Cypriot community with its own communal café and park, it has a primary school serving children from all over the region, and there is also a large forest area (Timi forest). In addition, there are several guest houses and local taverns near the settlement.