Choirokoitia (Khirokitia), Cyprus

The ruins of Choirokoitia, Cyprus


Choirokoitia is a Neolithic settlement in Cyprus. Also written as Khirokitia, it is one of the most important and best-preserved prehistoric sites in the eastern Mediterranean.

Choirokoitia was discovered by archaeologist Porphyrios Dikaios, the Director of the Cyprus Department of Antiquities, in 1934. Although excavation was interrupted by Turkish invasion in the 1970's, it was eventually resumed in late 1970's.

Choirokoitia has been settled as early at the 7th to the 4th millennium BC. Archaeologists have found evidence of an organised functional society here. The settlement has surrounding fortifications for defence. The fortified walls are 2.5 meters thick and as high as 3 meters.

A reconstructed prehistoric structure in Khirokitia, Cyprus, dating from as early as 5800 BC


Choirokoitia was suddenly abandoned in around 6000 BC. Reason for abandonment of the site remains unclear.

Choirokoitia was inscribed as a World Heritage Site during the 22nd session of the World Heritage Committee in Kyoto, Japan, on 30 November to 5 December, 1998.

World Heritage Site Inscription Details

Location: N 34 47 54 E 33 20 36 in the District of Larnaca, Cyprus
Inscription Year: 1998
Type of Site: Cultural
Inscription Criteria: II, III, IV

List of World Heritage Sites in Cyprus

 Latest updates on Penang Travel Tips

Map of Roads in Penang

Looking for information on Penang? Use this Map of Roads in Penang to zoom in on information about Penang, brought to you road by road.

About this website

Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.

While I try my best to provide you information as accurate as I can get it to be, I do apologize for any errors and for outdated information which I am unaware. Nevertheless, I hope that what I have described here will be useful to you.

To get to know me better, do follow me on Facebook!