In the presence of the Deputy Minister of Culture, the Mayor of Paralimni - Deryneia, the Director General of the Deputy Ministry of Culture, the Superintendent of the Department of Antiquities, and other local officials, the inauguration of the Neolithic Period Archaeological Site "Islands" in Protaras was held by the Deputy Ministry of Culture, the Department of Antiquities and the Municipality of Paralimni - Deryneia on the afternoon of Thursday, October 16, 2025.
Deputy Minister of Culture Dr. Vasiliki Kassianidou emphasized in her greeting the importance of opening the Archaeological site to the public, not only for the Municipality of Paralimni - Deryneia and the Famagusta district, but also for the entire Cyprus.
In turn, the Mayor of Paralimni - Deryneia thanked the Deputy Minister of Culture, the Director General of the Deputy Ministry, as well as the Department of Antiquities for responding to the Municipality's request to allow the site, after almost thirty years of being closed, to become open to the public, as, as he stated characteristically, this particular site constitutes an important part of the historical and cultural identity of the Municipality. A centuries-old history, as he stated, which for more than seven thousand years has continued and flourished in the Protaras area with important finds, not only of the Ceramic Neolithic period but also of the Hellenistic period.
Special mention was made, during the inauguration ceremony, to the late former Director of the Department of Antiquities, Pavlos Flourentzou, under whose guidance the excavations at the site were carried out in five excavation periods between 1995 and 2001.
The Neolithic Settlement "Islands" in Protaras
The Archaeological Settlement “Nisia” in Protaras belongs to the Neolithic II period or Neolithic Ceramic period and dates back to around 5200-4800 BC. It is the largest settlement of the Neolithic period that has been excavated and researched to date in the Famagusta district. During the excavations of the Department of Antiquities, forty dwellings, a protective wall and a significant number of movable finds, such as vases,
