Edmond Duthoit was in Cyprus in 1860 and 1865. He travelled throughout the island and wrote extensively about the land and its people. The various customs of the island never ceased to amaze the French visitor:
On arrival at the Pasha, we were made to sit or lie on the divan and they brought the tsibouk, long pipes 1.5 to 2.00 metres long. Here the pipe, its dimension, body, of amber varying in thickness, have their significance and one kind of pipe is given to one type of person and not to another. One started with compliments and banalities…then a tray arrived covered with purple muslin embroidered with gilded stars and brought in by four officers. The coffee was followed at an interval by another tray and another cover and by another four officers. This tray contained quite large bowls full of lemonade or orangeade, it was the sorbet. Imagine four men dressed in various colours half in European manner, half in Turkish, wearing pantaloons and without socks, bringing in all seriousness a tray holding what? Four cups of coffee as big as egg cups.
The 'What I Saw...' series is made possible with the support of OPAP (Cyprus) and the Active Citizens Fund.
