Travel Guide Zygi

Set amidst ancient carob plantations, this fishing village was founded in the 19th century by the British. It owes its Greek and Turkish names to the scales used by the carob growers who came here to sell their harvest: Zygi is derived from the Greek verb zygizo, meaning "to weigh", and the Turkish term terazi, meaning "scales". The village still has carob warehouses and a "Turkish quarter" from this bygone era. Turkish Cypriots made up 50% of the population here before they were forced to leave in 1963. Today, Zygi is best known for its fishing boats, its large marina (built in 2012 to accommodate around 200 boats) and its fish taverns, which are popular all year round. There's also a mini-beach alongside the marina. Ten kilometers to the south, a larger and more beautiful stretch of sand awaits you: the famous Governor's Beach. But before you get there, you have to get around a rather gloomy complex that denatures the shoreline: a cement factory, a naval base and, in between, the ruins of an electrical station. The latter was destroyed in 2011 by a gigantic explosion of munitions stored in the nearby base, the blast of which shattered all the windows of Zygi.