Living necropolis: a labyrinthine tour of Tombs of the Kings

Crows, both mute and shrieking. Undulating expanses covered in scrub and wild grasses, already blond from the sun. Somewhere at the edge of the horizon, the sea. And knitting the landscape together… an ancient complex of ruins, built originally for the illustrious dead.

If you haven’t been here yourself, welcome to a virtual tour of the Tombs of the Kings, a UNESCO World Heritage necropolis, situated about 2km north of Paphos harbour, as captured by wedding photographer and videographer George Avgoustis, in one of his signature long takes.

George’s floating 4K lens hovers, at times, perilously near the edge of what, at a level down below, are underground tombs, at other times plunges us down narrow, vertiginous steps, carved out of the solid rock, and at still other times, enters and exits the graves themselves, which date back to the Hellenistic and Roman periods.

In spite of the name, the sleepers here were actually high-ranking officials and aristocracy, and not kings as such. Yet the scale and splendour of their tombs – some decorated with Doric pillars – prompt outsize feelings of awe that defy the passing of time.

Watch for moments when the camera lapses briefly into darkness as we enter tomb interiors… only to flush back into clarity as the exposure automatically adjusts. In spite of the camera’s technology, the passage from light to dark to light again, seems almost otherworldly – a fitting visual of the age-old balance between life and death.

To view more scenes of the island through George’s lens, or to book him directly for your special day, follow him via:

• His website: https://georgeavgousti.com
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdKm9PQd3rKwsSL61fmhELQ/videos
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gavgousti
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/george_avgousti_photography/

View the original video here.

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