Protaras (Greek: ''Πρωταράς'') is a predominantly tourist resort which comes under the administrative jurisdiction of

Paralimni Paralimni ( el, Παραλίμνι) is a town within the Famagusta District of Cyprus, situated on the island's east coast. Since the Turkish invasion in 1974, it has increased in size and status, primarily due to the migration of refugees fleei ...

Municipality in

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 ...

. In ancient times, where Protaras is now located, stood the old city-state of Leukolla.''The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites''
Leukolla
The city possessed a small safe harbour where Demetrius Poliorketes sought refuge in the year 306 BC, lying in wait for

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of importanc ...

, one of the successors of

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, wikt:Ἀλέξανδρος, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Maced ...

. In the ensuing battle, Ptolemy was defeated and fled to

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

, leaving Cyprus in the hands of Demetrius for a short time. Protaras is also referred to as "the land of windmills", maintaining the nostalgic quality of the past. Protaras has clear sky-blue waters and sandy beaches, the most well-known of which is

Fig Tree Bay Fig Tree Bay is a sandy beach in Protaras of Paralimni in Cyprus. In 2011, TripAdvisor declared it to be the third best beach in Europe, though it dropped to 13th place in 2013. Overview As with all beaches in Cyprus, access to the public is fr ...

. Building on the success of

Ayia Napa Ayia Napa ( el, Άγια Νάπα tr, Aya Napa, ), officially romanised Agia Napa, is a tourist resort at the far eastern end of the southern coast of Cyprus. Etymology The name Ayia Napa is derived from a Venetian-era monastery of the sam ...

, located about southwest, it has expanded into a modern holiday resort of considerable size with tens of high capacity hotels, hotel apartments, villas, restaurants, pubs and associated facilities. Being quieter than Ayia Napa and having less of a club scene, it has a reputation of catering more for family and Cypriot tourism.

Cape Greco Cape Greco, also known as Capo Greco (Italian for "Greek cape"; el, Κάβο Γκρέκο), is a headland in the southeastern part of the island of Cyprus. It is at the southern end of Famagusta Bay and forms part of Ayia Napa Municipality. It ...

is a 10-minute drive from the center of Protaras. Protaras is a diving destination. Green Bay is the most popular dive site and has statues placed underwater for the thousands of first timers to enjoy while trying their scuba skills. The Blue Hole, the Chapel, the Decosta Bay, Malama bay. Protaras most famous dive site for Technical Diving and Commercial Diver training is the Cyclops bay located on the border with Ayia Napa.

References

{{Authority control Paralimni