Hani ton Kalianon

Hanin (derived from the Turkish word han), meaning an Inn, an old type of hotel, was one of the most important public buildings along with the public baths. These kinds of Inns operated in Cyprus until the early 20th century. The countryside Inns were in the middle of the cities and used by travellers and caravans for overnight stays, because travelling with animals or wagons from one city to another required overnight stays.

Hani ton Kalianon, also known as ‘The Stop’ in Greek, is located on the old road of Nicosia to Troodos and is an excellent example of folk architecture. It was built around 1900 AD.

This stop, used as a resting point for travellers in earlier times when travelling was difficult and problematic, was initially an Inn and later turned into a café-restaurant. It was housed in a two-storey building with arches, which is an exquisite example of popular Cypriot architecture and was marvelously identified with the lush landscape all around, by the river and the old bridge nearby.

Today this building has been declared a listed monument, it has been restored and is used as a cultural centre.

For some time, because the stop had been known as Kaliana, the village itself was referred to as Pano (upper) Kaliana to differentiate it from the Inn. Over the years this reference did not carry on.

Location

Architecture

image-footer