A project to improve the gallery housing the ancient shipwreck in Kyrenia castle, has been launched by the bi-communal Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage, it was announced yesterday.
The Technical Committee will be implementing fund , as will the EU Commission, the Honor Frost Foundation, and the UN Development Programme (UNDP), and aims at protecting the ancient ship from harmful dust.
The gallery hall, where the ship is housed, is a very old one, with dust and other materials falling from the roof, damaging the ancient ship on display. Past efforts to cover the roof with insulation materials have proved ineffective.
The project is a first involving the Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage in Kyrenia. Other aims include the conservation of the most important artefacts that were discovered at the wreck’s site, as well as providing safe access for the public, including people with disabilities.
The Kyrenia ship, a wreck dating from the 4th century BC, was discovered in 1965 by Kyrenian diver Andreas Kariolou off the city’s coast, and has been kept for display at the fort in Kyrenia harbour. It became widely known when it was depicted in the Cypriot version of the 50, 20, and 10 cent coins.
A recent UNDP announcement said that the project aimed to enhance the ship’s conservation “so that it may continue to represent the common history of Cyprus and increase both communities’ awareness of the importance of protecting, studying and preserving the island’s maritime heritage”.
Sigmalive
