Forestry dept donates tree trunk to restore replica of famous wreck

The forestry department delivered a 13-metre-long trunk of a fir tree to Karnayio shipyard in Limassol to replace the mast of the Kyrenia-Eleftheria, a replica of the ancient wreck of Kyrenia, the Cyprus News Agency reported on Wednesday.

The donation followed a request from the cultural association Kyrenia-Chrysocava.

This replica of the 4th century BC ancient Greek merchant ship has been used for several nautical experiments by archaeologists and has participated in a number of cultural events, perhaps the most celebrated of which was its monumental journey to Greece in 2004 on the occasion of the Athens Olympics, it added.

In an announcement, the forestry department said the forests and timber of Cyprus have been used by man since antiquity.

“They were used to prepare food, for heating, to make containers, tools and furniture, to build houses and ships,” it said. With the passage of time and the change in methods and materials, the use of forests especially in Cyprus dwindled to a minimum, it added.

The department said it wanted through various actions and initiatives to highlight the value of forests and their direct connection to humanity through the years.

“In this way we are also contributing in a practical way to continuation of the use of timber, of arts and crafts in Cyprus. We wish the Kyrenia-Eleftheria bon voyage and a speedy meeting with the ancient ship of Kyrenia,” it concluded.

The 15-metre ship sank around 288 BC, about five kilometres from port from where it had departed carrying 29 mill stones, 380 amphorae and a load of 10,000 almonds and other products, as well as a four-member crew, the Kyrenia municipality says on its website

It remained buried underwater until it was discovered by the late Andreas Kariolou opposite the coast of Chrysokava in 1965.

More than 50 archaeologists, divers and other scientists worked for three years in order to raise, reassemble and finally display the ship at Kyrenia Castle, thus reviving its history and linking the era of Alexander the Great and ancient Cyprus with the present, it added.

One of the best-preserved shipwrecks in the world, it remains at the castle.

Beyond the symbolism, the replica has offered unparalleled insight into ancient naval architecture and navigation.