Larnaca’s Salt Lake and Flamingos, EUROPA Issue Protection of Nature and the Environment, Republic of Cyprus

Larnaca’s Salt Lake and Flamingos, EUROPA Issue Protection of Nature and the Environment, Republic of Cyprus

Postage stamps--Cyprus--History

Γραμματόσημα--Κύπρος--Ιστορία

Nowadays, the Larnaca salt lake is nothing more than a beautiful safe haven in winter for migratory birds, the most prominent of which are the flamingos. Fra. Francisco Suriano, in his manuscripts of 1484 kept in the communal library of Perugia, recounts how the salines of Larnaca (salt lakes) were once planted with vines and as St. Lazarus passed by he asked from those who kept the vines a few grapes for the love of God. This they refused him. When he asked what there was in the basket hanging nearby they said ""salt"", but it was full of grapes. He then laid a curse on them saying: ""may all these vineyards turn to salt"". To keep alive the memory of this a church was built in honor of St. Lazarus in Larnaca. In past centuries the excellent pure white salt produced by the receding sea waters was a very valuable export commodity and the Queen of Cyprus received a large income from the salt merchants. Alexander Drummond, British Consul at Aleppo, came to Cyprus in 1745 and 1750. He wrote that during Venetian rule the yearly revenue from the salt lakes amounted to 1,000,000 piastres equivalent to í125,000. The Venetians had valued this commodity so highly that they or their predecessors had surrounded it with a stone or mud wall. Michael de Vezin, British consul for Aleppo and Cyprus mentions that in 1790 the salt lake at Larnaca yielded every year 10,000 cartloads of pure white salt. Each cartload carried 1,000 okes. (1 oke = 2 3/4 lbs) Until the 1970’s passers by could see the salt piled up in hills but then it was mainly used for industrial purposes.

Cyprus Post, Republic of Cyprus

Κυπριακά Ταχυδρομεία, Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία

Cyprus Post, Republic of Cyprus

Κυπριακά Ταχυδρομεία, Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία

Library of Cyprus University of Technology

Digital Heritage Research Lab of Cyprus University of Technology

28th April 1986

Designer: G. Simonis

Απαγορεύεται η δημοσίευση ή αναπαραγωγή, ηλεκτρονική ή άλλη χωρίς τη γραπτή συγκατάθεση του δημιουργού.

www.cypruspost.gov.cy

TIFF

EL, EN

Image

1986-EUROPA-17C

35.160417, 33.346556

Aspioti - Elka, Athens