Fodor's Expert Review Salamis

Salamis, on the seashore about 9 km (5.6 miles) north of Famagusta, is an ancient ruined city and perhaps the most dramatic archaeological site on the island. St. Barnabas and St. Paul arrived in Salamis and established a church near here. Most of the ruins date from the Roman Empire, including a well-preserved theater, an amphitheater, villas, and superb mosaic floors. After surviving earthquakes and pirate raids, the city was abandoned in the 7th century AD, when the population moved to what is now Famagusta. Much of the ancient city is overgrown with a tangle of bushes and dune grass, which only serve to enhance the site's serene, poignant beauty.