Description

Xyliatos is a village of the Lefkosia District. It is built 50 kilometres southwest of the capital city of Lefkosia, on a mean altitude of 515 metres.

The Xyliatos dam and the homonymic excursion site are landmarks for our village. Many visitors come to Xyliatos to enjoy the peace and beauty of the dam located in the hug of a green mountain, which is reflected on the crystal water of the dam, this way creating an image full of magic.

The village existed since the medieval years, as it appears from the naming Filato which is marked on old maps and which is also mentioned below. Karouzis clarifies that the village is marked on Venetian maps and adds that according to Mas Latri, it used to be a royal estate during the Frankish occupation. From 1881 until 2001, as it is presented on the following table, the population of the village has met many variables. Nowadays, Xyliatos is able to maintain and even increase its population thanks to the important developmental steps that have been taken in the past years.

The name of the village, as Nearchos Clerides remarks, is linked to the owner of the area who was named Xylias. The medieval ending – atos was added to the name to state ownership. Clerides also adds that this owner either possessed forest land or he was a lumberjack. The Great Cyprus Encyclopaedia completes that, in the old maps, the village was marked by the name Filato, possibly an alteration of the Greek name that occurred during the Frankish and Venetian occupation.

Wild and yew vegetation interchange harmonically this way creating wonderful scenery. Spread on the one side is the green thyme and the low bushes, whereas the other side is covered with vegetable cultivations and some types of citrus fruits. What is also worth mentioning is the fact that part of the village is covered by the state forest “Adelfoi”. One can enjoy the beauty of nature by strolling along the Nature Paths and the Excursion site of Xyliatos.

However, the most impressive image of Xyliatos, and possibly the reason which makes the village so well known, is the Water Dam of Xyliatos with its surrounding low green hills.

"Memi - Alepou" Mine:  A mine known by the name “Memi - Alepou” used to operate in the community. It was a mine that used to extract copper and iron. Approximately 150 people from the village and the wider region used to work at the mine from 1956 until 1973, when it stopped operating.

In our village, there is a church dedicated to Agios Mamas and a cave also dedicated to the same Saint. According to tradition preserved by the residents of the village from generation to generation, Agios Mamas used to live in a cave in the village and that he would use the entire village as grassland. For further information, both about the Church and the Cave