William Lithgow visited Cyprus sometime between 1609-1621. His description of the island is short but interesting.
The chiefest and highest mountain in this isle is by the Cypriots called Trohodos, it is of height eight and of compass forty-eight miles whereon there are a number of monasteries, the people there are called Colieros and live under the order of St Basil. There is abundance here of coriander seed, with medicinable rhubarb and turpentine. Here are also mines of gold in it, of chrysocole, of calthante, of allome, iron and exceeding good copper. And besides these mines, there are divers precious stones found in this isle, as emeralds, diamonds, chrystall, corall red and white, and the admirable stone amiante, whereof they make linen cloth that will not burn being cast into the fire, but serveth to make it neate and white.
The 'What I saw...' series is made possible with the support of OPAP (Cyprus) and the Active Citizens Fund.
