Ruth Keshishian, who had an encyclopedic knowledge and understanding of Cyprus’ history and literature, and owned the Moufflon Bookshop in Nicosia for decades, passed away on Wednesday night. She was 81.

Ruth was born on April 26, 1944. Her funeral will be held at the Greek Evangelical church in Larnaca. Details of the funeral will be announced.

Close friends said various events would be organised at later dates to celebrate her life, work and contribution to Cyprus.

Messages expressing sorrow over Ruth’s passing have been widely posted on social media.

“Over the years, Ruth formed a special bond with the many Australian archaeologists who visited Cyprus,” the Australian high commission said on Facebook.

“Ruth, a proud independent shop owner, was a pillar of the cultural and intellectual community in Cyprus. Our thoughts are with her family, friends and the community she nurtured so lovingly. She will be missed.”

The Cyprus American Archaeological Research Institute (Caari) said in a Facebook message that “Moufflon Bookshop was always one of the first ports of call for generations of archaeologists working on Cyprus and a frequent stop for those who live here and Ruth always reserved a warm welcome for us all.”

“The shop was always alive with myriads of volumes in piles on the floor, in boxes, on the shelves and Ruth knew everything about all of them. More than a tireless archivist of Cypriot book production, she was a guarantor of its continuity and continuation,” Caari said.

They said Ruth was a regular attendee at Caari lectures and the annual summer workshop. “We will miss her warmth and wisdom terribly.”

Ruth’s brother opened Moufflon Bookshop in 1967, catering for international tastes, schools, musicians and more, until Ruth returned to Cyprus and took over the shop in 1995. Ruth was also a massive supporter of Cypriot and Armenian artists.

For years, Moufflon Bookshop stocked books in various languages and themes, featuring a large collection of new and used, in-print and out-of-print books on Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean.

In 2020, the bookshop moved to new premises and reinvented itself to meet changing customer demands.

Apart from modernising the shop itself and taking online orders and delivering too, the Moufflon streamlined its stock and focused on what it knew best: Cyprus.

A full obituary on Ruth will appear in Sunday’s Cyprus Mail