A Visit to the Ethnographic Museum

Centrally located in the Old Town area of Pafos, the Ethnographic Museum is a good place to learn about the history of the region and the folk arts that supported village life. The private museum was founded in 1958 and developed over the years by the late George Eliades, educator and scholar. The museum is housed in a private home constructed in 1894. The top floor, which has been used as a residence by the Eliades family, presents historic items found locally. These include collections of coins, prehistoric tools, pots, amphorae, glassware, sculptures, and jewellery. The lower level focuses on the material culture of agricultural villages in the Pafos region. You start in the Villager’s Room, which contains a wide array of mostly handmade tools used in the home workshop; featured items include a hand mill, a cotton gin, and a loom. In the Bedroom, you will find textiles on display, including bed and table linens and traditional clothing. The Ceramic Room collects pots from the major ceramic centres of Cyprus. Domestic implements are displayed in situ in rooms representing a traditional kitchen and a laundry. Outside in the courtyard, you will find an olive mill, a cart, stone-made ovens, and a water fountain. Beyond its coverage of folk life, the lower level presents a room devoted to artefacts from the Chalcolithic era (3900-2500 BCE) and a rock-cut tomb built here in the Hellenistic period (300-200 BCE). Step into the museum and immerse yourself in the material culture of bygone eras.