Marathassa Valley ( el, Κοιλάδα Μαραθάσας) is a beautiful and fertile valley in the
Troödos Mountains
Troodos (sometimes spelled Troödos; el, Τρόοδος ; tr, Trodos Dağları) is the largest mountain range in Cyprus, located in roughly the center of the island. Its highest peak is Mount Olympus ( el, Όλυμπος), also known as Chion ...
of
Cyprus
Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...
. It takes its name from the plant ''Marathos'' (Greek: ''Μάραθος''), a type of
fennel
Fennel (''Foeniculum vulgare'') is a flowering plant species in the carrot family. It is a hardy, perennial herb with yellow flowers and feathery leaves. It is indigenous to the shores of the Mediterranean but has become widely naturalized ...
which grows in the area.
The area is known for its splendid
cherries
A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit).
Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet ''Prunus avium'' and the sour ''Prunus cerasus''. The nam ...
. The valley is about a 65 km drive from
Limassol
Limassol (; el, Λεμεσός, Lemesós ; tr, Limasol or ) is a city on the southern coast of Cyprus and capital of the district with the same name. Limassol is the second largest urban area in Cyprus after Nicosia, with an urban population ...
. It is to the north of
Mount Olympus
Mount Olympus (; el, Όλυμπος, Ólympos, also , ) is the highest mountain in Greece. It is part of the Olympus massif near the Thermaic Gulf of the Aegean Sea, located in the Olympus Range on the border between Thessaly and Macedonia, be ...
and it extends into the administrative territory of both Nicosia and Limassol district.
It is the highest inhabited valley on the island home to a total of 12 villages, including
Prodromos, Lemythou, Tris Elies, Kalopanayiotis and
Moutoullas
Moutoullas ( el, Μουτουλλάς [], tr, Mudulla) is a mountain village in the Nicosia District of Cyprus, at an elevation of in Marathasa Valley. In 2011, it had a population of 174.
The old village church, the 13th-century chapel of ''Pa ...
. It is home to
Trooditissa and
Kykkos
Kykkos Monastery ( el, Ιερά Μονή Κύκκου or [] for short, tr, Cikko Manastırı), which lies 20 km west of Pedoulas, is one of the wealthiest and best-known monastery, monasteries in Cyprus.
The Holy Monastery of the Virgin of ...
monasteries.
Valleys of Cyprus
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