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Cyprus Village: Zygi A Charming Coastal Village

Hello! We are back again to explore a new village! Get ready and let’s start our trip to a Cyprus Village – Zygi, a charming coastal village.

Zygi Marina

Zygi Village

GPS Coordinates: 34.7322° N, 33.3346° E

This coastal village is between Larnaca and Limassol. It belongs to Larnaca district and situates forty kilometers southeast from the center. The only village that sits at an altitude of eight meters from the sea level.

According to the historical data, from 1830 to 1935, there are less than a hundred inhabitants. In effect, the British Administration did not list the village on its first census. Secondly, this area is rarely seen from the old maps.

The village begins to flourish in the course of British occupation around the early 1900s. Residents of this village are mixed; Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots.

Zygi, the village name is from the Greek word zygizo, which means weigh.

Black Gold of Cyprus

I’m sure you are wondering what significant item they are weighing? It is the carob, or the locust bean – the Black Gold of Cyprus.

The Carob Tree

Fun Facts. Ancient Greeks cultivate this tree for its fruits and ancient Egyptians use this as a sweetener. During the Jewish holiday of Tu Bishvat, Israelis eat the locust beans and during the month of Ramadan, the Muslims drink the locust bean juice.

The carob fruit is sweet, delicious, and nutritious because they contain proteins, vitamins, minerals such as calcium and iron, at least six antioxidants, and more. Importantly, they are digestible and do not cause allergies. – Dasarxeio

When the carob pods ripen (the golden-brown pod as per photo), it is grounded to powder and use as an organic substitute to cocoa powder. It is also processed as a syrup and packed in bottles, similar to honey.

Carobpita is pie, a circular sweet bread with carob in it. It is one of my favorites! You can find this from a local market or some fruit shops sell this.

Carob plantation and mills are the main livelihood of the residents in Larnaca and Limassol districts. The village of Zygi has carob factories and storage facilities which are strategically located near the pier to ship these goods.

From 1900 to 1910, Cyprus’ exports of carob is fifty thousand tonnes per year to Canada and Europe. Hence, carob became the Black Gold of Cyprus.

Slowly the carob industry declined as residents move to other cities and due to the growth of other plantations. Currently, only one company remains in operation, the Co-operative Association of Locust-bean Disposal of Larnaca.

A Fishing Village

Arriving the village, a charming marina greets you filled with fishing boats. What a perfect day to stroll along the jetty!

Zygi is also called a Fisherman’s village in Cyprus. A thriving fishing community, where the surrounding sea is a rich breeding ground for a number of fishes. Village fishermen supply their catches to restaurants and fish markets.

Fishing Boat
A catch of five tuna fishes and a van whisk them away to a waiting kitchen.

Zygi celebrates the Fish Festival every August! (Due to the coronavirus pandemic, all festivities are currently on hold.)

Where to eat?

Anyone fancy a seafood? I bet you do!

Seafood tavernas/restaurants are very popular in this village. This is the place where you can enjoy fresh seafood with a breathtaking ambiance.

Captain’s Table

A well-known seafood taverna with a large outdoor seating fronting the marina and they have ample space inside as well. But of course, we are here for the view!

We feast with seafood meze, various seafood dishes in small plates. (Seafood meze at 25 EUR per person)

You can also check out other restaurants in Zygi at Trip advisor.

Other Points of Interest

  1. Agios Eracledios Church – is the oldest Church in Zygi, the year it was built is unknown presumably around 1800. Another version is that immigrants from Asia Minor may have built this church. It celebrates every 17th of September.
  2. Agios Kyriakou Country Church – built around 1955 by Pattihes family who are managing a carob business. It celebrates every 29th of September.
  3. The Apostolos Varnavas Church – built after the Turkish invasion, in 1986 and is at the center of the community. It celebrates every 11th of June with a fair.
  4. Zygi Beach – a small laid back beach with sunbeds just the end of the marina.
  5. Monument of George Koumbaris – a Cypriot hero, who risked his life during the Turkish invasion. The monument is in the community park.
View from Captain’s Table

More information about the village of Zygi can be found at the community online portal.

7. Experimentation Station of Agricultural Farm Research

Zygi is one of the experimental stations across the island of Cyprus. There are a total of eleven stations in different cities. You will see these farms on your way to the village, similar to garden centers.

The eleven-hectare agricultural farm in Zygi was established in 1982 cultivating various plant species. It also has facilities such as greenhouses, desalination units, and mobile units for atmospheric monitoring.

Here are more details about the agricultural research.

Do you agree this Cyprus Village of Zygi is a charming coastal village?

Side Trip

And here’s one more!

The Camel Park! Just eighteen minutes drive from Zygi.

Europe’s only camel park and houses more than 100 animals such as ostriches, alpacas, ponies, and more!

For information on amenities, facilities, activities, and other details, check out Camel’s Park website.

Final Thoughts

Would you agree with me, that this is a romantic place to visit in the afternoon, followed by a seafood dinner just in time for the sunset?

Sunsetting at Zygi Marina

Or you can gear up for an adventure, starting your trip at the Camel Park and conclude your day at Zygi village!

The trip to the village of Zygi, may seem to be off the beaten path as it is unknown to many travelers. Definitely, this one of the hidden gems here in Cyprus.

I truly love the stroll at the marina and the tasty food.

To conclude, the Cyprus Village Zygi, is a charming coastal village.

I hope you enjoyed this tour with me.

Anything you want to share, just hit the comment button below!

52 Comments

Add Yours →

Hi Linda, I was born and raised in the Philippines. I’m so glad that Cyprus is now in your bucketlist. Cheers!

Hi Ara, I haven’t tasted yet the carob fruit from the pod. But I have tasted the carob sweet in bottles similar to honey. You can drop some in your yogurt. Other products from carob are tea, snackbars, carob bread and other sweets. It tastes good!

Such a detailed post with some great information about zygi. My fiance has told me lots of tales of her years in Cyprus when she was little, they lived on an army base, larnaca rings a bell. We keep discussing visiting Cyprus for a holiday.

Thank you Eddie! I think she may be referring to Dhekelia base, in Larnaca. This is near to Pyla village where we usually spend our summer. Oh great, hope you can visit soon. Cheers!

Cyprus is on my list of places to visit, so I’ll be sure to try and visit Zygi – it sounds amazing! And your photos are incredible!

Coastal places have always attracted me. Thank you so much for sharing details about Zygi… Looks like a wonderful place to visit?

What a fun little village and interesting information about it’s history. One of the best things of visiting villages like this is the fresh seafood! I bet it was yummy!

What a beautiful coastal village. I can imagine a beautiful boat trip, lots of delights to eat and strolling hand in hand with my other half along the harbour. Thank you so much for sharing – this post took me away from my desk for a beautiful day dream!

Zygi looks like such a beautiful and relaxing spot for a weekend getaway. These fish meze platters…YUM.
The nerd in me really appreciated the educational bit about the diverse uses of the carob fruit – thank you!

Hello Simone! Looks like you will enjoy this village and the yummy seafood. Hope you can find some carob products In your area. ?

Wow what a wonderful post. That seafood looks amazing and the scenery is to die for. Great blog post, I enjoyed how you shared some history as well what points of interest there is.

Omg camels! I’ve never been to Cyprus, and I’ve never thought of visiting either. But your blog posts on Cyprus have made me curious about how it’s like. I would love to visit now! Thanks for sharing, Vinn! 🙂

Yes, I agree with you, Cyprus is not on the usual bucket list! Looking forward to your future travels here and read your story. There are so many things you can see and do here and camels are just one of them 😉

The place is absolutely wonderful! I have definitely included it to my list of places I will visit soon. Thank you very much for sharing this beautiful place with us.

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