Vanishing Villages: Exploring Habitation and Abandonment in the Dhiarizos Valley, Cyprus, and Surrounding Areas

Abstract In Cyprus, the twentieth century marked a period of profound changes in the internal organization of the island and its habitation patterns. Political, economic, and social factors, along with natural disasters, contributed to the abandonment of numerous villages. While some settlements have been partially reoccupied, others remain deserted, now lying in ruins or having entirely vanished. This paper presents a preliminary analysis of selected abandoned villages and buildings documented in the Dhiarizos Valley and its surrounding areas (Paphos and Limassol Districts) during the spring of 2024. The abandonment has shielded them from renovations and replacements with modern structures, thus preserving numerous traditional and vernacular buildings. However, decades of neglect have led to the gradual collapse of roofs and walls. In many cases, their deteriorated state renders restoration and preservation impossible, making urgent the documentation before their final disappearance. Meanwhile, in other cases, their vanishing from the landscape provides interesting information on the formation processes of the archaeological record. Finally, the ongoing documentation of buildings from an ethnoarchaeological perspective offers valuable insights into habitation, collapse, and degradation processes.