Larnaca’s €4 million archaeological park project remains mired in bureaucratic delays two years after procedures began, with officials unable to provide a start date for work that was scheduled to begin in 2024.
The project aims to unify archaeological sites of ancient Kition, linking the Archaeological Museum with the ancient harbour and Agios Neofytos Street, where a major mosaic depicting the Labours of Heracles was discovered during sewage works in 2016.
Two of four required property expropriations remain incomplete, according to the Deputy Ministry of Culture. Property owners initially filed objections, which were rejected by the Cabinet two years ago. The owners then appealed to the Administrative Court, where the case has not yet been heard.
The architectural competition for the project cannot proceed until all four expropriations are completed, the ministry said. Officials have asked Larnaca Tourism Development and Promotion Company (ETAP) and city authorities to use their influence with property owners “for a project that will benefit the entire city.”
The delays are particularly serious for Larnaca, which was named a European Capital of Culture. The city risks being unable to display some of its most significant archaeological treasures by 2030, according to Phileleftheros, which first reported extensively on the issue in January 2025.
ETAP Larnaca recently expressed frustration to the Deputy Minister of Culture, stating in a caustic announcement that the issue “has remained stagnant for years” and that “despite repeated efforts and the positive climate that exists at a political level, the Department of Antiquities’ persistent refusal to advance the necessary steps has led to complete immobility”.
Further complications emerged with a house demolished in autumn 2025 near the Heracles mosaic site. The plot flooded due to heavy rainfall, and the Department of Antiquities requested that Larnaca Municipality carry out drainage works and provide excavation workers, the ministry said.
The mayor indicated drainage works were completed by the Provincial Organisation of Local Government Larnaca, but said he was not aware of any request for workers.
The mayor has pushed for phased execution of the project, with the ancient harbour opened first as an interim measure. The harbour has had no public access since tennis courts were removed from the site in 2020.
The ministry rejected the phased approach, stating there are “insurmountable technical difficulties” and that “partial implementation of the project will not benefit the city as much as we would like”.
However, the ministry’s response appeared to address the mosaic site rather than the ancient harbour, which faces no expropriation issues.
Other archaeological projects in Larnaca also face delays. A burial chapel of Agios Therapon discovered near a petrol station remains inaccessible, with the ministry expressing hope for “an equally generous relocation of the petrol station and car wash operating above the funerary monument”.
Larnaca’s application to include the Church of Panagia Angeloktisti on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, submitted within 2025, received a negative preliminary assessment.
The ministry said it will return with arguments and prepare a candidacy file. A separate proposal for Hala Sultan Tekke will be examined at a later stage, with priority given to Angeloktisti.
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